


Black Hornet

by radiocabel



Series: Affinity Unbound [3]
Category: Affinity Unbound, Black Hornet
Genre: Amputation, Doctors, Existential Crisis, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Flirting, Gods, Hacking, Hippocratic Oath, Hope, Medical, Medical Experimentation, Mentions of alcohol, Mountaineering, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Past Relationship(s), Religion, Revenge, Surgery, Thriller, Trust, himbos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 78,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22091590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radiocabel/pseuds/radiocabel
Summary: Medical student Alphonsia Inocencio catches wind of a mysterious medical condition known as a "pyroma." Her investigation of said pyromas leads her down a rabbit hole that changes not only her, but everything she knows. Follow Allie through her journey to find the truth and fulfill her Hippocratic oath.
Relationships: Alphonsia Inocencio/Antonio Spens-Theia, Alphonsia Inocencio/Hayley Byrde
Series: Affinity Unbound [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/731727
Kudos: 3





	1. A Smoking Gun

_Alphonsia Inocencio, please report to the E.R.. Alphonsia Inocencio, please report to the E.R.._

The metallic voice screeched through the speakers of the break room. On one of the many overused and under-cushioned chairs sat Alphonsia, a medical student spending her summer vacation at her local hospital on a clinical rotation. 

She spent the bulk of her break texting, catching up on her social feeds, or reading up on relevant medical topics. Luckily for her, she had the room all to herself and made the most of it. If she saw a particularly amusing image, she’d laugh. It was nice to unwind, even if just a little bit. 

As she stood up and adjusted her black tank top. She thought it strange: why was she called to the E.R.? She was only a student, not a resident or even an intern. What would they need _her_ for? 

She grabbed her overshirt and white coat off the hook on the wall and quickly slipped them on. The last thing she needed was to upset any of her superiors, especially when she was just one semester away from graduating. All dressed and ready to go, Alphonsia opened the door and entered the busy hallway.

The usual faces passed her by--colleagues, classmates, some familiar patients. She smiled and exchanged quick pleasantries on her way. Unfortunately for Alphonsia, the emergency room. was on the opposite end of the first floor--and she was on the third. The elevator was notoriously troublesome and today just so happened to be the day it kicked the bucket.

After wading through a sea of wheelchairs, standing I.V. drips, and stretchers, Alphonsia reached the stairs. Her boots echoed as she ran down both flights. Reaching the bottom, she opened the door and fast-walked to the emergency room.

Alphonsia felt her phone buzz in her pocket. Figuring she had a second, she fished it out and replied to a text quickly. She rounded the bend in the hallway only to walk blindly into a large male Simenti. His familiar teal skin, short black hair, and slightly upward-curved nose gave it away. “Crap, sorry, Dr. Yuvo!” she said, stuffing her phone into her pocket.

“Allie! Glad you could make it,” Yuvo said, smiling. He didn’t seem to care--or even _notice_ \--which was lucky for her. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here, hm?”

“Yeah, I am.”

Yuvo placed his hand on her shoulder and chuckled. “I wouldn’t say it’s lucky, but we’ve got the perfect opportunity for you to observe some surgery. How does a soft contact GSW in the upper left brachium sound?”

“Sounds like someone got shot from close range on the larger of the two muscles in the bicep. Bullet still present?” 

Yuvo nodded.

“Sounds like it shouldn’t be causing any issues. It’s not stemming blood flow or causing the patient any discomfort or anything?”

“No complications. This is just to get the bullet out and clean up what it left behind. We probably _could_ leave it there and treat the fracture, but we might as well go all the way,” he explained.

“Doctor Yuvo, with all due respect, do you think I’m really ready to spectate trauma surgery like this?” Allie asked.

“The patient’s alert and awake. He’s been stable despite his injury, so I feel confident in letting you at least observe. Let’s walk and talk, Allie,” he suggested.

Allie followed Yuvo’s lead. Together, they walked towards one of the rooms at the end of the hall. They had passed several uncomfortable sights. She had never gotten quite used to seeing grisly sights, but she hoped she’d get over it in time. 

Yuvo stopped just short of one of the rooms and gestured towards the entrance. “Would you be so kind as to escort our patient to the theater? Everything’s almost done, so just bring him over and then meet up with me. Understood, Allie?”

“Yes, sir.” Allie entered the patient’s room, expecting copious amounts of blood and a screaming gunshot victim.

Instead, she came across a mild mannered adult male laying in bed, carefree and content as can be. He was a fox--in more ways than one. His overall demeanor was calm, cool, and most importantly, cocky. Allie thought about how, if she had known him outside of work, she’d hate his guts. 

He was donned in his robe already and his left arm had been elevated with a cushioned wooden stand. As expected, there was a circular wound around the upper middle of his bicep with dried blood. There was a faint hint of metal in the air, but Allie may have just imagined that.

“Oh, thank the lords, you’re here. You look like a guardian angel, sweetie. Are you here to take me to the afterlife?” the man said, giggling like a child.

“You should be so lucky,” Allie said as she rolled a stretcher up to the side of his bed. “But those kinds of angels don’t really exist..”

“Ah, yes, of course, how silly of me. You know, they gave me some kinda injection and now everything is really funny.” 

_Morphine_ , Allie thought. “That sounds correct; we’re here to take the pain away.” 

“Wait a sec, you’re one of those Creaden, ain’t you?” the man scratched his chin. “You don’t even believe in heaven or angels. You’re all about those affinities or whatever.”

Allie locked the stretcher in place and began sliding the patient’s mattress onto it. “I suppose. Never really been that religious, personally.” 

“Nothin’ wrong with that. Gotta say though, you’re _really_ angelic right now. Is that the drugs talking? I think it’s the drugs talking.”

“That’s just my affinity doing its work, sir. You should be feeling a lot calmer now.” Allie finally wrangled the patient onto the stretcher. Once he was secured, she unlocked the wheels and began pushing him out of the room and into the hallway. 

“Huh…” The man paused, his eyes darting from side to side. “You’re right. And that’s not the drugs doing that, is it?”

“It’s probably both.”

“You say you’re not religious, but where the hell did those affinities come from, then?”

“Sir, we can discuss this after you recover. How does that sound?” Allie said, pushing the patient down the hallway.

“I’m just saying, it’s pretty clear to me. How could anyone be an atheist when you’ve got proof positive right there?” he continued. “It’s like, you’re _staring_ at proof some gods exist, and you’re just denying it. Pretty gutsy, I gotta say.”

Allie rolled her eyes and thanked no god in particular that the operating room was in sight now. The foot of the stretcher pushed the double doors open to reveal a staff of surgeons in scrubs standing around an operating table. Lights hung from the ceiling and from all sorts of medical equipment that even Allie couldn’t quite identify. Each beam of light was trained on the table where the patient was to lay. 

Allie wheeled the patient parallel to the operating table. Two of the surgeons walked up to the stretcher, one at the head and the other at the foot, and slid the patient onto the table. 

“Thank you, Allie,” a familiar voice called out. Doctor Yuvo stood on the other end of the room, decked out in full scrubs with his hands buried in a tray of various tools. “We can handle the rest from here; go scrub up and come back so you can observe.” 

“Understood. Please don’t wait up for me. I’ll be quick,” Allie said, already on her way out the door. 

“Don’t be quick, be _thorough,”_ Yuvo said sternly. 

Allie stopped. “Of course.” She excused herself from the theater and made her way to the nearest scrub station. Aside from the break room, this was one of the few places of peace in an otherwise hectic hospital. 

To start, Allie slipped on a surgical mask, safety glasses, and hat. Once done, she grabbed a fresh set of scrubs and laid them out methodically and carefully. Next, she had to wash her hands. It was difficult for her, knowing that she had fur covering her entire body. 

Thankfully, she never had to shave it all off--she just had to be _thorough_. Yuvo’s words echoed in her ears, as usual. They stocked a special brand of hand soap that was intended for use on furry hands like Allie’s. The soap clung to the base of the fur and, when the water ran through it, would scrub the entire hair clean. It burned like nothing else, but she had to do it.

The sink turned on and warm water rushed over her hands, making sure to rub all the way up to her wrists and letting the water drip away from her fingertips. When she first started shadowing Yuvo, he would always chastise her hand washing habits. _It’s an important skill_ , he said. _If you can’t wash your hands correctly, you can’t do anything else_. 

And so, Allie washed her hands thoroughly, dried them thoroughly, slipped into gown _thoroughly_ , put her gloves on _painfully thoroughly_ , ensuring she never touched the outside of them with her hands. It was a rhythm to her now. 

Ready to go, Allie returned to the operating theater to find the room dimmed significantly. The patient was blasted by blinding light in comparison, most of it focused on his left arm. The anaesthesiologist had already begun handling the patient. 

“Allie, come here.” Yuvo gestured next to him. He stood on the patient’s left side with a variety of tools at hand. “Tell me, what do you think is the first thing I should do?”

“Make sure the patient is actually unconscious first?” Allie asked.

Yuvo chuckled. “Well, that, but I meant how do _I_ begin? Do I just pick the bullet out and close shop?”

Allie paused to think. “Considering it’s a bicep wound, it should be safe to remove the bullet. It’s not an essential or overly active muscle, so I don’t foresee any issues with removing it. Once out, we’d need to stem the bleeding and see if his humerus was damaged. I suppose that’s why Dr. Os is here?”

Yuvo nodded, turning his attention to the patient. “We’ve already performed X-rays. Mild fracture, but there are some small bone fragments. Os is quite good at handling that, so I’ll leave that to him. I’m just going to remove the bullet and patch up the wound once he’s done with the bone.”

“You know, everything about this has been really calm. The patient, everyone here... I guess he was stable before he came in?” Allie asked.

“Oh, the wound is about two days old. If he didn’t die of blood loss before now, he’d survive another couple of hours. Apparently his sister dragged him here so we could handle it--can you believe that, Allie?”

“I can’t. How does he just… not go to the hospital for that?”

“Some people are stubborn. I’m surprised you don’t relate to him more.” Allie could see Yuvo smiling from behind his surgical mask. 

“I’m not _that_ stubborn…” she protested.

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” As he spoke, Yuvo had begun preparing the bullet for removal. He cleaned the immediate area around it and prepared what looked to be glorified tweezers. 

This wasn’t the first surgery Allie spectated, but even so, she still felt a little uneasy seeing the muscle, bone, and sinew under the patient’s skin. Seeing a patch of raw skin instead of fuzzy and fluffy orange fur still made her uncomfortable. Oh well, practice makes perfect, she thought. All of this would be worth it if she could help people recover.

Allie stood ready with a metal tray to catch the bullet. The bullet removal was relatively short and simple, all things considered. Yuvo pinched the fur around the patient’s wound and plucked the bullet out like a particularly nasty ingrown hair. Dried blood caked the outer edge of the bullet and reeked worse than anything Allie had smelled in all of her years of study. She must have visibly gagged

“Next time, coat the inside of your mask with peppermint or something,” Yuvo suggested. “This isn’t even the worst of it.”

The bullet clinked onto the metal tray and Allie set it aside. She stifled her gag reflex and composed herself. “Now the fun part begins, yeah?”

Yuvo glanced inside the wound and examined the exposed bone closely. “Looks relatively undamaged. Fractured, sure, but nothing a cast couldn’t fix.” Yuvo looked up and over at one of his fellow doctors. “Os! You’re up!”

Yuvo stepped back with his gloved fingers interlocked. A taller doctor kitted out in full scrubs wordlessly took over the patient, nearly shoving Allie aside in the process. 

Allie poked her head over Os’ shoulder, but couldn’t quite make out any details. “Does he need anything special, Dr. Os?”

“I’m busy,” Os said. 

Allie stepped back sheepishly and stood next to Yuvo. Her eyes were trained on her boots as she died internally of awkward anxiety. 

“I’d pat you on the back, but, you know, blood,” Yuvo said. 

“Thanks,” Allie sighed. Even though she couldn’t watch as closely as she’d like, she was still impressed with how swift yet precise Os’ movements were. She’d compare him to clockwork, but that would seem degrading to clockwork.

Os finished up and met up with Yuvo. “Humerus should heal within six to eight weeks. Full cast from the wrist up to mid upper arm. No pins or plates or anything else required. Just close up the wound and send him to me. I’ll get him in a soft cast to start then a hard one after that.” 

“Sounds good. Thank you, Dr. Os,” Yuvo said, returning to the patient’s side. He ensured the wound was fully disinfected before gluing the wound shut. 

“No sutures, doctor?” Allie asked.

“Wound’s small enough to glue shut.” Yuvo glanced back at her. “Unless you want to suture him yourself?”

Allie shook her head. “I can barely knit.”

“Yes, you’ve told me as much several times. You know, Allie,” Yuvo said, wiping the dried blood away from the now closed wound, “We’re quite a lot alike. We can do almost anything we set our minds to, but we choose to do _this_. Why?”

“Good question, doctor. I do it because I want to help people,” she answered.

“So do I. I can’t keep my attention on anything that doesn’t have some sort of excitement to it. Where else is more exciting than right here? I mean, I was never physically fit enough to be a pro wrestler or anything--I imagine that’s pretty fun, too.”

Allie chuckled. “Would you say you’re more of a face or a heel?”

Yuvo went quiet. Allie thought he was suddenly focusing on his work, but... “Heel, definitely heel.”

“I could see that,” Allie said as she grabbed a roll of gauze. Handing it to Yuvo, she said, “Thank you for letting me participate. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, you’re quite welcome, my dear. You’re on your last semester now, yes?”

“I am, yeah.”

“You need the experience. Hopefully this gives you a bit of a head start. Ah, I remember my first day out of med school and starting my first day at the ward. I showed up an hour early and didn’t know my ass from my elbow. Pretty sure I nearly passed out from stress.”

“Too late for me to switch majors now?”

“Much too late.” Yuvo said, finishing up the wound dressing. Once he was satisfied with his work, he motioned for the two nurses to return him to his room. 

“I can take care of that, doctor,” Allie offered.

“Oh, no, you’ve had a long enough day as it is. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been here?”

“No, because we’re not supposed to wear watches and my phone is in my unsterile pocket.”

Yuvo pointed at the clock on the opposite wall. “It’s been an hour, Allie.”

“Wow, time really flies.” Allie saw that Yuvo was right. It was funny how eight hours can just fly by. 

“You should probably go home. I can see you’re pretty tired--I commend you for being so dedicated to your work, but you should still take some time for yourself,” Yuvo said, sounding awfully like one of her parents rather than her mentor.

Allie didn’t feel that tired, but she knew Yuvo had the right idea. “Okay. Thank you, doctor. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you then. Oh, don’t forget we have the new students coming in a few weeks. You’ll likely manage one or two of them, depending on how many we get.”

“Oh, really? I get to have underlings?” Allie’s eyes sparkled.

“Oh, you _wish_ . Sure, you can bully ‘em a little bit, but remember your place. You’re still a student, just like them. When you become a resident, _then_ you can call them underlings.” 

Allie sighed as she exited the theater, making her way back to the sink. She slipped out of her scrubs and cracked her knuckles loudly. For good measure, she splashed her face with cool and clean water. _Who needs coffee_ , she thought. 

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Already having a pretty good idea of who it was, she reached in and unlocked her phone.. 

[17:45] **PhantomEyes** : hey allie

[17:46] **PhantomEyes** : allie

[17:49] **PhantomEyes** : aallllliiiieeeeeee

[18:00] **AlleyAlly** : Omg you know I’m at work dont you??

[18:00] **PhantomEyes** : ugh FINALLY you answer 

[18:00] **PhantomEyes** : yea i know youre at work so what

[18:01] **AlleyAlly** : Not to break the law or anything but I was helping Yuvo with a surgery.

[18:01] **PhantomEyes** : humble brag much?

[18:01] **AlleyAlly** : Like you’ve never done that before.

[18:01] **PhantomEyes** : no way im the most modest and humble bitch in the world

[18:01] **PhantomEyes** : anyway youre done now right? 

[18:01] **PhantomEyes** : cool i need to talk about the last episode of bio-evil season 6

[18:02] **PhantomEyes** : you down?

[18:02] **AlleyAlly** : Yeah let me just get home first and we can chat about it

[18:03] **AlleyAlly** : Quick question though: you like the new actor they hired to play Leo? 

[18:03] **PhantomEyes** : ugh god dont even get me started on that dipshit [18:03] **PhantomEyes** : constantin rotaru or whatever? 

[18:03] **PhantomEyes** : he looks like the kinda guy who bought his way to fame and didn’t actually do shit on his own

[18:04] **AlleyAlly** : Haha, yeah. Anyway I’ll be home in a bit. Gotta catch the train. Later.

[18:04] **PhantomEyes** : see ya

It just wouldn’t be a day on her chatting service of choice without getting bombarded by impatient messages. Allie put her phone away, but just as quickly as she did, it buzzed again. This time it was a text, not a DM.

_Allie, need you to swing by the lobby ASAP._

It was from Yuvo. He almost never texted her unless it was super important, especially off hours. After all, she was still a student.

Allie pushed the door open and made her way down the hall towards the lobby. Even from across the hospital, she could see a small crowd of nurses gathered around… something. Or someone. There were too many people in the way to tell.

Yuvo stood near the center of the group. Allie excused her way towards him and glanced down, seeing what he was seeing: a man laying on the ground, barely conscious.

“Ah, glad you’re here, Allie. Your affinity could come in handy,” Yuvo said.

“What’s going on with him?” 

“Look.”

Allie knelt down next to the man and saw a faint, gray smoke billowing out of the man’s nose and mouth. He was a Simenti, much like Yuvo, only much shorter and stockier. 

“Help me… For the love of the gods, help me! I can--” the man coughed. “I can barely breathe…!”

“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Yuvo leaned over and sniffed the smoke, retching. “Doesn’t really smell of anything. I don’t think he swallowed anything--he’s not choking, not heaving, nothing.”

Allie got to work and caressed the man’s head with both hands and focused. Her breathing slowed, her eyes closed, and she brushed the man’s hair out of his eyes. “It’s going to be alright, sir. The good doctor here will help you,” she said, calmly.

Yuvo placed his hand on the man’s chest. “Goodness, he’s burning up. Allie, feel his chest.”

Allie placed one hand and immediately retracted it. “It’s like a stovetop.”

“Some kind of incendiary device?” Yuvo wondered aloud. 

“You sayin’ I got a _bomb_ in me?!” the man jolted. 

“Doctor Yuvo, let me do the talking! Please!” Allie said, turning her focus back to the man. 

“There’s no bomb, there’s nothing we can’t help you with, sir. Do you think you could tell us what happened?”

The man coughed, causing a thick cloud of smoke to shoot out of his mouth. “I don’t--” 

Yuvo spoke up, “We need to perform exploratory surgery immediately. His heart can’t take that much direct heat.”

Two nurses had already showed up with a stretcher and an IV drip with saline solution. Yuvo stood up and helped the nurses and Allie lift the man on and secured him. 

Allie couldn’t stop worrying. Her calm demeanor hid her unease and concern for the poor man. She swallowed these feelings and remained professional to the best of her ability. “Doctor Yuvo, you’re going to operate on him now?”

“Yes,” he said. “I can take it from here. Thank you for calming him, but--”

“Doctor, let me help. I can--”

Yuvo shushed her and grabbed the head of the stretcher. “We can handle this, Allie. You need to go get some rest.”

Allie grabbed the side of the stretcher firmly. “I won’t rest until it’s over. I _can’t_ rest. Come on, we don’t have time to waste.”

“You don’t leave me much choice. Come, _doctor_.” 


	2. Slow Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie learns how to knit, among other things.

A crowd of doctors gathered around the now-unconscious patient. Among them were Yuvo, Allie, the anaesthesiologist, a doctor specialized in Simenti-related exploratory surgeries, and a cardiologist on standby in the event of total cardiac arrest. 

Exploratory surgeries were always complicated at a species-agnostic facility. There were few doctors whose jobs were to study one and only one species in complete totality. In the operating room was one such doctor; his name was Tract. 

He spent his residency specializing in Simenti-related care. As a Simenti himself, he thought himself overqualified. He never quite got along with many of the other doctors, but they trusted him enough not to squabble with him unnecessarily. He was rather young compared to many of the other doctors, but still clearly Allie’s senior. He had light-blue skin and dark brown hair and wore a large pair of round-lens glasses.

Yuvo and Allie helped hook the patient up to IV drips to keep the patient’s vitals stabilized. Saline solution filtered into his veins and his breathing slowed to a consistent crawl. Allie and Yuvo shared a quick glance, Allie’s face covered in unease. Yuvo nodded, reassuring her.

A nearby nurse draped a large, sterile cloth with a hole cut out over the patient’s chest. With the rest of the patient’s body obscured, Doctor Tract was ready to work.

Tract began his initial investigation with a single incision down the patient’s sternum. Judging by nearby thermometers, the epicenter of the heat was towards the top of the chest. He motioned for Allie and the nurse to fold the two halves of skin away from the chest and to pin them down. 

Underneath the sternum, Tract saw something quite peculiar. “This is worse than I thought,” he muttered. 

“What is it, Tract?” Yuvo asked.

“It’s, uh, some kind of… inflammation? Towards the top of the sternum--maybe a little higher.” 

Yuvo nudged Allie aside and got a closer look at the patient’s chest. A throbbing mass of meat and pus rocked the patient’s chest. One could be forgiven for thinking it was a second heart--it was approximately half the size of one. Whatever it was, it did  _ not _ belong. 

Tract motioned towards the nurse. He leaned in closer and could feel the heat emanating from the mass. “It’s absolutely scorching down here! We need to remove the sternum and extract this… growth. It’s crushing the patient’s affinitum.” 

“Is it crushing the heart?” Allie spoke up, not realizing she had done so.

Tract paused and sighed, glaring at Yuvo. “Why did you let a med student in? She’s getting in the way.”

“She has a good question, though,” Yuvo shrugged.

Tract groaned. “I’m not concerned with the heart, I’m concerned with the heat. He’ll be fine if we remove it. One question: Is he a  _ sine affinitas _ ? Did we get a chance to verify that?” 

“We don’t know,” Yuvo said.

“Hmph, not good. This could be a problem. Unless...” Tract stepped aside and allowed Yuvo the space necessary to step in his place. “I trust you to remove the sternum. Once that’s done, I can begin my extraction.”

“And how do you plan to do that? You just said--”

Tract held up a single gloved finger, almost as if he were shushing Yuvo. Instead, the very tip of his finger froze solid. Without missing a beat, he flicked the small ice chip off and into the garbage. “Freeze the edge of the growth and rip it out like a wart.” 

“And the patient’s affinitum?” Yuvo asked.

“This kind of removal is unprecedented. I don’t know what will happen, so I guess that means I’ll have to be careful, hm?”

Yuvo leaned in to Allie. “You remember the affinitum from anatomy class, yes?” 

Allie groaned. “The double-helix shaped organ that runs from just above the heart up to the base of the skull. Yes, I remember.”

“Okay, just making sure.”

Tract interrupted them. “We’re lucky the affinitum is just out of the way of the arteries here. We’re playing with fire--quite literally.” Tract snapped his fingers. “Med student, make yourself useful and fetch me a scalpel and a tray. I’m about to perform a biopsy up in this bitch.”

Yuvo got to work immediately. Coordinating with the cardiologist and the nurse, he began his removal of the upper half of the patient’s sternum. Any further down and they would have to contend with the individual ribs. 

Tract seemed confident in leaving the bottom half of the sternum as-is, despite it not giving him much clearance to remove the growth. His focus was trained solely on the growth and nothing more. Allie’s questions were met with either silence or a question of his own.

Yuvo cleared the last of the bone and stepped aside for Tract to take his place. “Might be a bad time, but what should we call this growth? A burning mass sitting on the patient’s affinitum…”

Tract grabbed his tools from Allie and got to work. His fingers gently clasped the edges of the growth. A gentle and thin layer of ice began encircling the entire lump. He took great care not to disturb the double helix shaped affinitum. 

“Cause I was thinking we could call it a  _ pyroma _ . You know, a growth of fire. We’d need to perform some analysis on the growth after we extract it, but I’m keen to--”

Allie rested her hand on Yuvo’s shoulder. “Let him work.”

Tract's fingers weaved between the folds and creases of the so-called pyroma and the delicate affinitum. All of his attention was focused solely on its safe and efficient removal.

To Allie, watching Tract operate like this was a rare opportunity. She could tell he was an expert in Simenti biology. She marveled at his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty to perform an impromptu biopsy, despite his position as an exploratory surgeon for Simenti people only. 

“Come on,” Tract mumbled, biting his lip under his mask. The tips of the pyroma froze quickly as his scalpel ran alongside the edge. Absolute concentration would be necessary for the remaining half due to the affinitum’s unusual shape. 

Allie, Yuvo, the cardiologist, and the nurse waited in respectful silence. For many surgeries, especially long ones, they would play music to ease everyone’s nerves. However, for very delicate operations, or ones that required intense focus, the theater would fall silent. 

“Med student, get ready with that tray.” Tract’s words cut through the silence. “One ball of fire, coming up.”

Allie fumbled with the sheet-lined tray and held it out. “Here, sir.”

Tract lifted the now-excised pyroma from the patient and lowered it gently onto the tray. Allie could feel the raw heat emanating from it. The very base of the tray was beginning to steam like the side of a steel pot after turning the heat all the way up. 

“My work here is done,” Tract said, taking the tray from Allie. “I can bring this over for analysis and find out just what the  _ fuck _ this thing is.” 

Yuvo nodded. “The rest of us can close the wound and ensure the patient’s care.” He turned to Allie. “Once we’re done here, you’re going home. Come back on Monday and check in on this patient.”

“Monday? I can come in tomorrow, and--”

“Monday,” Yuvo said, interrupting her. “He may very well be out cold until Sunday, anyway. Besides, take your weekend off. You need to be calm yourself if you want to keep him calm, too.”

“Yes, doctor.”

Meanwhile, Tract exited the operating theater with the pyroma. He had placed it inside of a cooled container just as he would for organ transplants. 

Wasting no time, Yuvo, Allie, the nurse, and cardiologist began work. The cardiologist began his final checkup on the patient’s heart health. Once she was satisfied, she stepped away and allowed Yuvo and Allie to proceed with their work.

With the pyroma removed, Allie and Yuvo needed to re-attach the removed sternum chunk, just as they would had he broken it normally. From there, they could seal up the chest cavity and call it a successful operation. 

Allie watched Yuvo work intently. Only now did she realize she was staring at a living, beating heart. The excitement and mystery of the operation made her forget just how  _ scary _ this all was. She could touch his still-beating heart with her hand! 

Yuvo must’ve sensed Allie was losing focus and said, “Stay with me, Allie. Need you to hold the plate steady while I screw in the bolts.”

“Understood...” She reached her hand into the patient’s chest and held the metal plate down. The goal was to have the plate hold the two halves of the sternum in place until the bone reformed itself naturally. Many who have this procedure keep the plate for the rest of their lives. Allie wondered if it hurt. 

“This’ll hurt me a lot more than it’ll hurt you, sir,” Yuvo smiled at the unconscious patient. He could see Allie’s disdain for his operating-table humor. “What?”

“Come on, doctor. Let’s not  _ screw _ around, here.” 

Yuvo smirked. “Not bad, not bad. I’m almost done, anyway.” With one last twist, he attached the plate successfully. All that remained was to seal the wound.

He and Allie removed the clips that kept the patient’s chest open and met the two halves together. Allie grabbed the suturing kit and stared at it quietly.

“You can do it, Ms. Knits-a-lot.”

Allie sighed and threaded the needle. The tip ran through the right half of the wound to the left and slowly but surely, she managed to make a successful stitch. 

“Great! Just do that again, but twenty-nine more times.”

Allie ignored Yuvo’s comment and continued. Her first few attempts were misshapen and awkward, but she began to find her rhythm. It became almost methodical, she thought. The way her fingers and hands danced between two halves of a living person’s open chest cavity, the feeling of having your superior burn holes into the side of your head with his piercing gaze… It really was magic. 

After what felt like an eternity, Allie successfully stitched the patient shut. She grabbed a disinfecting cloth and wiped the dried blood on the edges of the wound. Finally, she applied a layer of bandages to keep everything nice and neat. 

“Excellent work, my dear,” Yuvo said.

“Doctor Yuvo, was any of this legal? I’m not technically a doctor, yet…”

“Oh, it’s plenty legal. We wouldn’t have made you perform a biopsy, but holding a plate down and suturing a wound are perfectly within reason of a medical student.”

“Okay… Also, thank you, doctor.”

“Don’t mention it. Try and enjoy your weekend, okay?”

“You, too.” Allie stepped out of the theater and made her way to clean herself off. Again. 

As she slipped out of her scrubs and into her more comfortable street clothes, she felt her phone buzzing again. 

[19:45] **PhantomEyes** : smh allie if you got stuck at another flea market or whatever im gonna steal your laptop and put it on my botnet

[20:15] **PhantomEyes** : dont tempt me with your outdated-ass laptop

[20:30] **AlleyAlly** : Whoa, whoa, calm down. I’m here.

[20:30] **AlleyAlly** : Sorry. I’m still at the hospital.

[20:30] **PhantomEyes** : that busy huh

[20:30] **AlleyAlly** : Kinda weird, but there was a weird case today.

[20:31] **PhantomEyes** : tell me more

[20:31] **AlleyAlly** : I can’t. It’s the law.

[20:32] **AlleyAlly** : Anyway. I’m coming home for real this time. 

[20:32] **PhantomEyes** : ok good i was getting bored just sitting here waiting for you

[20:32] **PhantomEyes** : the dark web can only entertain me so much ya know

[20:32] **AlleyAlly** : I really don’t.

[20:32] **PhantomEyes** : you know me and thats good enough

[20:32] **PhantomEyes** : enjoying your free textbooks? 

[20:32] **PhantomEyes** : thank the dark web for that 

[20:33] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley, please.

[20:33] **PhantomEyes** : ok fine see you soon

Allie finished cleaning up and left the hospital. Mercifully, it was still somewhat bright out. Sunset was only a few minutes ago, giving her plenty of light to find her way.

She walked down the busy city streets along her usual path. The train station wasn’t far, even by foot. What usually slowed her more than anything was foot traffic. In the summer, tourists flocked to Astuva City for conventions, concerts, casinos, and more. It was an ideal vacation spot for many, but for Allie, people standing on the sidewalk taking pictures and gawking at skyscrapers were the bane of her existence. 

Wading through a crowd at the station, Allie finally reached the platform proper. The train was due to arrive at any moment. To pass the time, she took out her phone and played her usual mobile games--ones that she tended to splurge her hard-earned money on. Throwing money at a rigged roulette board in the hopes of winning a picture of a hot man or woman tickled Allie’s wild side more than she knew. 

The train arrived and Allie boarded quietly, excusing herself to the corner of the car. The doors closed and the train departed swiftly. Only four stops and she would be home. She began wondering if she would be able to hang out with Hayley before passing out on her bed. Her eyelids felt heavier than they did before, and while she wasn’t yawning yet, she knew it wouldn’t be long.

Outside of her hospital work and studies, she didn’t have much else going on. Allie thought about the times she declined to hang out with her coworkers or classmates. She felt lonely, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. Work and school took up a lot of her time now, and she didn’t want to risk falling behind.

The train chimed over the speaker. A robotic voice boomed:  _ Now arriving at: Scola University.  _

Allie made her way to the train door and watched it open before her. Stepping off the train, she hurried down the stairs and walked down the road to the school’s apartment complex. The sun had sunk below the horizon and the stars overhead were visible. At least, the few stars that  _ could _ be seen with all the light pollution Astuva City generated.

Allie swiped her university ID card and entered the main lobby. It was cheaply-decorated with the lowest-quality carpet on the market. Potted plants, mainly cacti, dotted the halls leading outward. After all, Astuva City was technically in a desert. 

Allie reached the old-fashioned elevator. She pressed the call button and heard the lift groan to life. The door slid open and she entered, punching in the fifth floor. To most people, the screeching and wailing of metal grinding against metal would be unnerving. To her, it was business as usual. It didn’t even register anymore--this building was stuck in a perpetual state of decay. Always dying, never quite dead. 

The elevator doors swung open and Allie nearly stumbled out. A yawn escaped her throat, surprising her. Seeing her familiar hallway made her realize just how tired she was.

She grabbed her key and walked to her door. Unlocking it, she entered her cozy apartment. It was a simple one bedroom, one bathroom affair. The short hallway led right into the living room, which made a closet look spacious. Allie could fit a coffee table, her laptop, and half of a couch, but no more. Along the hallway were two doors, one leading to the bathroom and bedroom, the other to the kitchen. 

Allie passed the kitchen and reminisced having a kitchen that had more than a meter of clearance. She walked down the hall and entered her bedroom, where an old mattress, unwashed comforter, and a stained pillow waited for her.  _ Home sweet home _ , she thought.

She sat on the bed as the frame creaked. Wasting no time at all, Allie untied her boots and threw them aside before laying face-down. Just as her face buried itself into her pillow, Allie’s eyes fluttered shut. 

********************************************************************************************************

Allie woke up gently. Her eyes opened slowly as her vision regained focus. She was laying on her side and staring at the door to her room, still laying on top of her blanket. 

“Aw, fuck…” she murmurred, realizing she ignored Hayley. She grabbed her phone and saw the time. 11:00 sharp. “Thirteen hours...”

It took her a moment to notice she didn’t have any unread messages. It was strange, usually Hayley would chew her ear off about ignoring her. 

[11:01] **AlleyAlly** : Hey, you up?

[11:01] **PhantomEyes** : all the time

[11:01] **PhantomEyes** : morning sleepyhead

[11:02] **AlleyAlly** : Sorry about last night. I came home and just kinda passed out. Didn’t realize how tired I was.

[11:02] **PhantomEyes** : no worries

[11:02] **PhantomEyes** : you doing ok tho?

[11:02] **AlleyAlly** : Yeah, I’m fine. 

[11:02] **PhantomEyes** : how about that dude from yesterday

[11:02] **PhantomEyes** : he fine too?

[11:02] **AlleyAlly** : I don’t know. I think so? It was kinda strange.

[11:03] **PhantomEyes** : tell me what happened

[11:03] **AlleyAlly** : That would be a breach of patient confidentiality.

[11:03] **PhantomEyes** : man what are you a cop

[11:03] **AlleyAlly** : Only to you. I will say, though, it was something strange. We’d never seen it before.

[11:03] **PhantomEyes** : hm

[11:03] **AlleyAlly** : Hm?

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : can you give me a hint

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : like what were the symptoms

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : i feel like doing a little research

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : you caught my interest

[11:04] **AlleyAlly** : Well, I suppose if we know more about what that was, the more we can help treat it…

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : ayy thats the spirit!!

[11:04] **PhantomEyes** : so whats the haps 

[11:05] **AlleyAlly** : OK, so, this guy shows up and he’s breathing smoke from his chest. It’s super weird. He doesn’t run a fever, but you can tell he’s burning up. His vitals seemed normal otherwise, so we did exploratory surgery.

[11:05] **PhantomEyes** : hmm hmm

[11:05] **AlleyAlly** : We cut open his chest and saw a weird growth on his affinitum. We removed it and noticed that’s where the heat came from. After that, we stitched it back up and called it a night.

[11:06] **AlleyAlly** : I assume he’s recovering now in the ward, but I think Yuvo would kill me if he saw me anywhere near the hospital now.

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : so a flaming growth in his chest huh

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : was he hot

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : because mood 

[11:06] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley.

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : im not apologizing

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : anyway im gonna do some digging on the interwebz for that stuff

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : that doesnt sound right at all

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : do you think it had something to do with his affinity

[11:06] **PhantomEyes** : like maybe he was attacked or something

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : or maybe his affinity went rogue

[11:07] **AlleyAlly** : Affinities don’t just go rogue. Then again, he was a Simenti, so a fire based affinity is possible. 

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : mmhm

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : anyway ill look into this cause this shit sounds dope

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : ill ring ya when i have more info ok?

[11:07] **AlleyAlly** : Thank you. I’ll see him on Monday so I’ll fill you in on what’s going on if it helps your research. 

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : glad i could help break the law w/ you 

[11:07] **AlleyAlly** : It’s not breaking the law if you’re a medical professional. Doctor Byrde is on the case.

[11:07] **PhantomEyes** : hey i resent that

[11:08] **PhantomEyes** : if i stayed in school i bet you i wouldve earned my phd 

[11:08] **AlleyAlly** : There’s always time to go back.

[11:08] **PhantomEyes** : nah its fine

[11:08] **PhantomEyes** : anyway im gonna deep dive this shit smell ya later

[11:08] **AlleyAlly** : Thank you. Bye.

Allie sighed. She sat up straight and stretched her arms out and realized she still reeked of hospital. That all-too-familiar smell of antibacterial soap masking stained hands permeated the air. 

It was time for a shower to refresh. 


	3. Fall From Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie learns about the harsh realities of medical work.

Monday morning rolled around, much to Allie’s delight. Throughout the entire weekend, she could hardly take her mind off of work. If she had her way, she would’ve been at the ward for the last few days. 

She had been texting Yuvo since Saturday morning but with little to show for it.  _ How’s the patient _ ?  _ Did he recover _ ? All her messages were met with silence. Did Yuvo not want her to worry? If so, not responding only made her anxieties worse.

That was why Allie was happy to step into the ward bright and early. Clad in her lab coat, black tank top, and jeans, she breathed a sigh of relief. The same old hustle and bustle of the lobby eased her concerns. It felt like business as usual--something that Allie could appreciate. 

Wasting no time, Allie made her way to Yuvo’s office. She reached the second floor and thusly his office, but Yuvo was nowhere to be found. She pulled out her phone and texted him, asking where he went. To her surprise, he got back to her quickly.

_ Room 303. Meet me. _

Allie took the staircase and jogged to room 303. This floor was primarily used for outgoing patients or those who only needed minimal supervision. Allie entered the room and saw Yuvo sitting next to the patient from Friday’s affinitum operation. 

The patient looked a lot worse for wear. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair messed up, and his breathing arrhythmic and shallow. Allie’s first thought was some kind of panic attack, but what could have caused that  _ now _ ? 

He was hooked up to an IV drip and had a heart monitor on his finger. His vitals seemed normal and, according to his chart, everything looked to be stable--Everything except his mental health. The chart made it clear he was not coping well with the surgery, though it did not explain why.

Yuvo stood up and greeted Allie. “Glad you’re here. Mr. Pavor here could use your expertise.”

Allie quietly walked up to the patient’s side and rested her hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Pavor, my name is Alphonsia, but you can call me Allie if you’d like. I’m here to help you. What can I do to make you feel better?”

Pavor’s trembling slowly faded. His breathing grew more regular and calm. “M-my name is Don. I… I lost something. I don’t know how to deal with it.” He glanced at Yuvo and looked back at Allie.

Allie nodded. “Doctor, could you please leave me and the patient? I can handle this from here.”

“Alright. I’ll be nearby, so let me know if anything comes up,” he said, excusing himself. 

Don motioned for the cup of water sitting on the tray at his lap. “I can’t reach it. Could you please…?”

Allie grabbed the cup and handed it to him. “Of course. You must be thirsty after the last few days, hm?”

“It’s not that…” He said, flipping the cup of water, causing it to splash all over himself. “My affinity. It’s gone. I can’t manipulate the flow of water anymore.”

“You had an affinity, but now you don’t?” Allie asked.

“It was the surgery. Everything was fine until I started burning…”

She could see his vitals begin to spike. She rubbed his shoulder gently and spoke softly, “It’s going to be alright, Don. Deep breaths, please.”

“It’s never coming back. I’m never going to be the same again.” His breathing grew faster. “I don’t even know who I am anymore! How could I?” 

“Don, listen to me.” Allie paused, waiting for his full attention. “You’re, well, still alive. There’s nothing wrong with you, with or without your affinity.”

“How… how would you know? You’re not some  _ unblessed _ like I am.” 

Allie remained calm. “You shouldn’t refer to yourself like that. Tell me, Don, are you religious?”

“...Yes, I am.”

“Maybe instead of thinking this as the gods turning their back on you, look at it in a new light. Perhaps they have a greater plan for you than you or I could comprehend?”

“I don’t know. It just feels like a cruel joke more than anything. I’m missing a part of myself, something that I’ll never get back. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be okay with that, even if it’s part of a larger scheme.”

Allie paused. She had no idea what to say. Deep down, she wondered if he was right. How  _ could _ he be okay with that? How could she continue to reassure him it would all be fine when even she had her doubts?

“You don’t even know.”

“Wait, Don--”

“I need some time alone. Please, just leave me be.” He said as he turned away from her, arms folded.

Allie stood up and adjusted her coat. “I will, but can you please tell me--”

“No. Let me grieve in peace.”

“Don, I want to--”

He glared and pointed at the door. “Go! Leave!”

Allie understood she couldn’t make any further progress today. “Alright. Let us know if you need anything, Don,” she said, turning and leaving awkwardly. She fidgeted with her hands and stared down at them, only to bump into Yuvo in the hallway.

“Oh, hey. I heard the shouting,” he said. “What happened?”

“He lost his affinity and doesn’t know how to cope. I guess I misspoke and that angered him. I didn’t get a chance to find out how this all happened…” she sighed.

“Goodness. I’m so sorry, Allie.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up. This was the calmest he’s been since the surgery, believe it or not. You already did plenty.”

“I wanted to ask him how this all started.”

“You’ll get a chance. Besides, I’m told that we’re still performing our analysis of the pyroma we extracted from him.”

She sniffled, showing a little hope in her eyes. “That’s good.”

“Allie, remember you’re  _ not _ a doctor. Not yet. It’s your job as a student to learn, okay? What you just did was  _ learn _ .”

“...Thank you, doctor. I’ll try and remember that.” 

“Good. Now, speaking of students and learning, I think it’s time for you to meet some of our new medical students. We’ve got a batch of about five of them,” Yuvo said, his tone lighter. 

Allie breathed easier with a little weight off her shoulders. “What are they planning on specializing in?”

“Eh, one wants to be a pediatrician, two of them wanna be GPs, but the other two are undecided,” Yuvo shrugged. “I got to meet them and they seem like a relatively bright bunch.”

“ _ Relatively _ ?” she asked.

“Well, one is a little bit behind the ball. He’s the one I actually wanted you to keep your eye on.”

“Oh, no. Not the pediatrician, I hope?”

Yuvo laughed. “Oh, no, not that one at all. I meant one of the undecided ones. Name’s Antonio. I’ll introduce you to him.” 

The two walked down the hall and towards the main desk on the third floor. Many of the nurses gathered around to help patients along or to guide family and friends who wished to visit. A couple more nurses flicked through large folders and files or clicked away at desktop computers to the side. 

A wolf man stood next to the large, waist-high desk as he texted away on his phone. He was wearing a long, gray jacket with gold buttons, a black tank top, tight jeans, and a pair of black sneakers. A locket in the shape of a key dangled from his necklace, matching the golden buttons on his jacket. As if he sensed Allie and Yuvo approaching, he glanced and locked eyes with her. His red eyes contrasted with his light gray and white fur, along with his black glasses.

“Oh, you must be Alphonsia,” the wolf held out his hand. “I’m Antonio, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you,  _ Ante _ ,” she said, shaking his hand. 

“ _ Ante _ ?” he asked.

“Oh, I like to give all of my subordinates nicknames.”

Yuvo stifled a snicker. Playing it off as a cough, he spoke, “Alphonsia here will be showing you the ropes, so to speak. Now, Antonio, what year did you say you were in?”

“First year, just finished my first semester,” he answered.

“Excellent! How do you think you’re doing so far?”

“Oh, you know,” he scratched the back of his head, “Hanging in there.” 

“Well, I’m sure Allie here can show you a thing or two. What do you think?” he said, turning to her.

She rested her elbow down on the desk, leaning casually with her head in her hand. Eyeing him up and down, she glanced at Yuvo. “I give him two weeks.”

“Hmm, that’s quite optimistic,” he nodded in agreement and scratched his chin.

“What the…” Antonio lost his words for a moment. “Guess I need to prove you wrong, huh?”

“Oh, yes,” Allie said, “You can prove us wrong by replacing all the IV drips on this floor. That seems like a pretty good place to start, don’t you think, doctor?”

“Indeed. I’ve got a patient in room 324 who needs a swap out soon. Take Ante here with you.”

“My name’s  _ Antonio _ . I’ll take Tony, or Anthony, or even Tonio, but  _ Ante _ ?” 

“What, you don’t like poker?” She asked sarcastically.

“I like being the dealer, thank you.” 

“You can start by dealing with the IV drips, Ante,” she retorted.

Antonio groaned quietly. “When I started medical school, I didn’t imagine this is how it’d go.”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, Ante.” Allie dragged Antonio to the nurse’s closet down the hallway. She reached in and fished out a pair of folded scrubs. “Put these on, there’s a bathroom a couple doors down.”

Antonio took the scrubs and looked at them, then up at Allie. “How come you’ve got the coat and everything? Why do I have to look like a nurse when you’re a student too?”

“Yuvo says it looks good on me,” Allie lied.

“It’d look good on me, too.”

“Keep your studies up and maybe we can find out, hm?” 

Grumbling, he took the scrubs to the nearest bathroom and changed into them quickly, folding his jacket and jeans into a neat bundle. Allie showed him a little room he could tuck his clothes away for the time being. After a few moments, Antonio stepped outside, wearing his classic blue scrubs. “How do I look?”

“Like you’re ready to swap some drips,” she handed him a full IV bag. “Simple. Walk up to the patient, say hi, swap out the bag, and you’re done.”

“Easy enough. Is this the room right here?” Antonio pointed at room 324, a small, single patient room with its door open. 

“Yeah. Go in, make nice with the patient, and just do your best. I’ll be outside in case you need me.”

Antonio walked in quietly, IV bag in hand. The first thing he saw when he entered was the patient laying in bed. She was a middle-aged avian woman who looked relatively healthy--no obvious defects or injuries. He took a quick glance at the chart dangling at the edge of her bed, but couldn’t make out anything written on it. To him, it was written in a foreign language. 

_ 40F BIBA, PR 120 -> 90 (1L NACL), ACVD, pFSH smoker, DxMAOI _

“Hello, ma’am. I’m here to swap out your IV drip,” he fumbled his words. 

“It better be morphine. Sick to fuck of this stupid bullshit.” The woman reached into a purse next to her bed and grabbed a cigarette and lighter. Wasting no time, she lit the cigarette and filed the lighter away.

“A-ah, um, I don’t think you should be…”

“Doctor said I can smoke. It’s fine.”

Antonio grabbed the empty IV bag off of the stand and took it off. A bead of sweat formed on his forehead; he could feel her staring holes into the back of his head. His hands shook as he set the fresh IV bag down and attached it. 

“What is this, your first day, sweetie?” the woman asked.

“I-I, uh, yeah, actually…”

Taking a long drag of her cigarette, she said, “Figures. They must want me dead.” 

“That’s not very nice. I’m trying my best here, lady.”

The woman breathed a cloud of smoke into Antonio’s face. “Maybe try a little harder, sweetheart. Next time, send someone more experienced.”

Antonio balled his fist at his side, attempting to restrain himself. “Have a pleasant… day.”

“Piss off.”

He huffed and stormed out. Wondering where his patience had gone, he found Allie texting as she sat in a chair against the wall. 

As Antonio steadily lost his patience with his first patient, Allie had been messaging Hayley.

[08:08] **AlleyAlly** : I haven’t heard from you all weekend. Anything going on?

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : just been digging up on that growth you told me about 

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : havent found anything yet so i didnt think to tell you

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : You don’t usually go radio silent like this.

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : been workin on it 

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : sorry for not keeping up

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : Aren’t you spending a little too much time on this? We can take care of this here.

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : i cant just stop now

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : i already said id do it

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley, it’s fine. 

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : arent you supposed to be working

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : Don’t change the subject! 

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : But, to answer your question, I am. I’m training a new guy.

[08:09] **PhantomEyes** : is he cute

[08:09] **AlleyAlly** : I don’t know. Kinda? I don’t ogle people the way you do.

[08:10] **PhantomEyes** : not what you said about that one guy from bio-evil

[08:10] **AlleyAlly** : He’s an exception! 

[08:10] **PhantomEyes** : tell me what he looks like at least

[08:10] **AlleyAlly** : He’s a wolf, a little taller than me. Coat, jeans, some kinda black shirt or whatever. Doesn’t really stand out fashion-wise or anything. 

[08:10] **PhantomEyes** : does he have a sexy accent

[08:10] **AlleyAlly** : Omg no he doesn’t. He’s from around here, so he sounds like pretty much everyone else.

[08:10] **PhantomEyes** : you werent even born in deseus 

[08:11] **PhantomEyes** : youre from fuckin sabine

[08:11] **AlleyAlly** : The accents aren’t THAT different.

[08:11] **AlleyAlly** : Oh shit here he comes now. I’ll see you soon. Don’t worry too much about the pyroma, ok?

[08:11] **PhantomEyes** : pyroma huh

[08:11] **PhantomEyes** : ill check that out see what i find

[08:11] **PhantomEyes** : thanks allie

“Are you texting at work, Allie?” Antonio tsk-tsked as he approached.

Slipping her phone into her coat pocket, she said, “Wasn’t texting. It was a DM.” She felt her phone buzz in her pocket but ignored it, not wanting to prove his point.

“Uh huh.”

“How was Ms. Rose today?” 

Antonio stared blankly. His confidence: gone. 

“Oh, cheer up,” she said, standing up. “She’s really quite sweet when you get on her good side.”

“Really? I was convinced that this woman had as many sides as a möbius strip.”

Allie folded her arms and crooked her head. Of all the people Yuvo could’ve assigned to her… 

“Am I wrong?”

She sighed. “How about we do something a bit easier? You can come help at the reception desk. Just check in patients and call out their names when you’re told. Sound good?”

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“Do you need me to drag you by the hand,  _ Ante _ ?”

Holding out his hand, Antonio smirked. “Sounds like you want an excuse to hold my hand.”

“You don’t even know how old I am. I’m a year four student, you’re a first year. I could be in my late twenties for all you know.”

“You’re 23,” he said, his smirk evolving into a full grin.

“Lucky guess,” she shrugged, already walking towards the staircase. 

Antonio caught up quickly, walking alongside her. “It wasn’t a guess.”

“Am I supposed to be impressed?” She pushed the door open and began her descent. 

“Oh, come on. Does nothing faze you?”

Allie stepped into the lobby and walked towards the main desk. A couple of nurses sat behind it and spoke with soon-to-be patients waiting for further instruction. There was an open seat towards the far end of the desk. To Allie, it had Antonio’s name written all over it.

“Just take a seat there and talk to whoever walks up. Write down their symptoms, tell them to wait, and so on. If anyone’s actively bleeding, admit them into that room down the hall.” She pointed towards a small room with a bed covered in papery disposable sheets. 

“Wait, what if someone demands a doctor  _ immediately _ ? Is there some kind of escalation procedure?” he asked.

“Just use your best judgment. If it gets out of hand, call someone over to help. You’ve got this, Ante.” Her ‘cute’ nickname bit his ears like a sharp breeze.

He begrudgingly took his seat at the end of the desk, hands folded in front of himself. Almost immediately he was accosted by an older man with a walking cane, gesturing towards his back.

Allie remembered to check her phone. She picked it up and read out a text from Yuvo.

_ Another pyroma. Come here. _

“Another one?!” she gasped. Any cryptic text like that was a bad sign. Allie broke out into a full sprint. 

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Antonio shouted.

********************************************************************************************************

Allie burst through the operating theater’s doors decked out in full scrubs. Despite her best attempts to hurry, she had already spent much longer than she would have liked getting prepared.

Yuvo’s hands were buried deep in a Creaden woman’s exposed chest. Blood stained his white gloves and blue scrubs; sweat dripped down his forehead and onto his mask. Aside from the anesthesiologist, he was alone. It was a miracle he could work so fast and so efficiently. For a moment, Allie remembered  _ why _ she looked up to Yuvo so much. 

“Where’s Doctor Tract?” she asked.

“I wasn’t able to get a hold of him. This woman came in with a pyroma and needs an immediate removal. Her temperature is already at 40.5 degrees,” Yuvo explained, tilting his head to her vitals on the display behind him. 

Allie took a quick glance. Her BPM was 140, blood pressure was 185/121, temperature 40.5 degrees, respiration at 3 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation was at 50%. Yuvo was right--this woman would die with that pyroma inside her. 

“Get on the other side and hold the pyroma up just a little. I need to reach my scalpel a little bit closer, but I’ll puncture one of the arteries if I can’t get a good angle,” Yuvo explained. 

“Where are all the other doctors or nurses? Last time we had Tract, and a cardiologist, and two nurses!” Allie said, getting into position. 

“On their way. Hold it steady, Allie! Steady! I’m making an incision just at the base.” Yuvo grunted, sweat beading on his forehead. “Motherfucker. This is really testing my patience.”

Allie’s hands wanted nothing more than to shake. However, she slowed her breathing and cleared her mind. This was no time to panic. 

Yuvo’s scalpel made slow but steady progress. The blade weaved its way around the patient’s arteries and affinitum with as much care as Yuvo could muster. 

The pyroma in Allie’s hands felt warmer the longer she held it. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought she were holding a baked potato. Mercifully, her gloves shielded her hands from the raw heat. 

“Angle it a little bit forward. I think I’ve got it now,” he said.

Allie obliged, tilting the pyroma forward so his scalpel could slice around the back half. She took a quick glance at his face and could see his raw concentration. An orchestra could be playing in the theater and he wouldn’t even blink.

The door swung open and the cardiologist barged in, accompanied by a nurse. “Yuvo, what in the gods’ name are you doing?!” he shouted. 

“My  _ job _ , Cormeum. Why don’t you do yours and tell me about my patient’s heart?” he said, not even looking away.

Cormeum glanced at the patient’s vital readings on the display. “Well, she’s not doing so great. I assume you’ve already administered--” 

“Yes, this is the lowest I could possibly get her heart rate. I’m sure you’ll forgive me for taking matters into my own hands, Cormeum.”

“Then allow me to take care of her. Nurse, I’ll need 0.8 mg of nitroglycerin.”

Both Cormeum and the nurse worked independently of Yuvo. Allie could see them dancing back and forth with various meters, tubes, medications, and more. Not wanting to get distracted, she turned her attention back to the pyroma in her hands.

Yuvo had made a couple more incisions, leaving only a small portion of the growth still attached. Holding his breath, he made the last few cuts, freeing the pyroma from the woman’s chest. He breathed an audible sigh of relief as the most delicate part of the procedure was over. 

Allie held the pyroma in her hands, her eyes fixated on it. It pulsated ever so slightly in her grasp--something she hadn’t noticed until it was completely free. She had assumed the little vibrations emanating from it were Yuvo’s scalpel. “Doctor, feel this,” she said, holding out the pyroma.

Yuvo placed his scalpel away and grabbed the pyroma from Allie’s hands. He made the same observations she had: it appeared to vibrate while emanating extreme heat. “This feels a lot more like a heart than I expected, Allie.”

“Why is it…  _ doing that _ ?” she asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Here,” he said, handing it back, “place it in an ice-cold container and seal it up. We’ll want to investigate this one as well, I imagine.”

While Allie and Yuvo discussed the pyroma, Cormeum and the nurse administered injections and attached IV tubes to the patient. Allie had assumed they were keeping her vitals stable. In fact, she had almost forgotten to keep a close eye on the read-out.

Allie tilted her head and saw the patient’s blood pressure skyrocketed to 200/160. Blood oxygen saturation dropped even further to 30%. “Yuvo…”

Yuvo turned around and glanced at the patient’s vitals. “Fuck! Fucking… Cormeum, she’s going to flatline!”

“Way ahead of you!” Cormeum said, reaching for his specialized equipment tray.

“What’s happening to her? Why are her vitals escalating?! You gave her nitroglycerin!”

“Something’s impeding blood flow out of her aorta. The pressure is building up more and more in her heart.” Cormeum reached for a small, balloon-shaped tool. “I’ll need to perform an emergency angioplasty on her before her heart fails outright.”

Allie hobbled away, pyroma in hand. She found the nearest container and wrapped it in two bags before placing it in the chilled container. Leaning over to Yuvo, she whispered, “What do we do now…?”

“We wait. Let him operate,” he whispered back.

Allie’s eyes fixated on the patient’s vitals. Her heart rate and blood pressure climbed steadily, but her respirations per minute and blood oxygen saturation declined. 

Cormeum threaded a catheter through the patient’s exposed upper chest and ran the length through to the aorta. From there, he began to inflate the small balloon at the edge of the catheter to clear space in the aorta. 

“It’s not working, Cormeum!” Yuvo shouted, getting impatient.

“Hold on, hold on…”

Allie watched the vitals read out closely. The patient’s EKG grew more and more arrhythmic before completely falling flat. The all-too-familiar flatline droned in her ears, causing her own heart to beat rapidly.

“Nurse! A little help here?!”

Yuvo grabbed Allie by the shoulder and began moving her away. “Let’s go.”

Allie resisted at first, pushing Yuvo’s hand away. “We can still help her! Let--”

“Allie.”

She turned around to face him, the pyroma sealed away in a container in her hands. “There has to be  _ something _ we can do!”

“There is something  _ we _ can do. It’s to let Cormeum do his job. Ours is done here, Alphonsia.”

“But we can’t just--”

“I’m not letting you watch this patient die! Now get out!” Yuvo’s voice boomed. 

Allie’s breathing stopped. She was in complete shock. Her legs wouldn’t move, her eyes unfocused, and she slowly lost sight of what was going on. It took Yuvo snapping his fingers to regain her focus. 

Yuvo wasted no time in escorting Allie out of the theater. Once they were out, he immediately dragged her to the nearest cleanup station. Together, they proceeded to unscrub in silence.

Allie’s mind dwelled on the last sights before Yuvo took her away: the cardiologist frantically reaching for tools and medicine, the nurse grabbing everything she could and keeping her composure, the patient’s breaths slowing…

She could see the patient’s chest slowly falling out of rhythm. No longer would her chest rise and fall as it should. It became still, like water in a pond. This poor woman could’ve been healed. She could have  _ lived _ . 

The boxed, still-beating pyroma sat in the corner of the room, taunting Allie. 


	4. The Strength of the Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie gets a much-needed pick-me-up.

Sitting at the bar, Allie tightly clutched her drink in her hands. She raised the glass and downed the last of her cola, breathing a long sigh. 

“You shouldn’t beat yourself up over what happened,” Yuvo said, sitting next to her. He sipped his gin and tonic quietly and patted her on the shoulder. “

“It’s really hard, Doctor. I feel like, maybe if I had just remembered something from my studies, or if I had been just a bit more capable…”

“Allie, let me level with you.” He waited for her to make eye contact to continue. “You can’t blame yourself for deaths that aren’t your fault. You’re a _student_. You did admirably well--amazingly, even. It was up to me and Cormeum to ensure this patient’s care, not you.”

Allie was silent as the bartender replaced her glass. 

“Listen, I know what it’s like to blame yourself for your mistakes. It’s incredibly easy to criticize yourself,” he said, taking a quick sip. “But if you start blaming yourself for mistakes that weren’t even _yours,_ this is only going to become more difficult for you.”

“I don’t know…” She took a quick swig of her cola and set the glass down. “It’s tough to just be okay with that.”

Yuvo took his arm off of Allie’s shoulder and rested his elbows against the counter. “I don’t expect you to get over this in no time at all. I just expect you to _learn_ from this. You’ll observe many mistakes in your career. You’ll _make_ mistakes. If we all gave up when we made a mistake, there wouldn’t be any doctors.”

Allie sipped her drink again, staring at the dark abyss in the glass.

“You did everything you possibly could. Even if you could rewind time and do it all over again, it wouldn’t change a thing.” 

Allie remained silent. Her ears folded forward, almost running parallel to the top of her head. 

“Want anything to eat? It’ll be my treat,” he offered.

“I’m not that hungry. Thanks, though.”

“You haven’t eaten all day. You showed up early, didn’t take lunch, now you’re not eating dinner.”

She sighed. “I’ve got food at home. Thank you, though.”

“Alright. Well, I’m going to order some fried cheese curds and buffalo sauce. You’re more than welcome to take some if you’d like.” Yuvo waved at the bartender and placed his order, salivating slightly at the thought of deliciously unhealthy grease and cheese.

Allie continued sipping her drink to herself. The soft ambience of the restaurant’s bar was certainly more pleasing to the ear than the horrible noises she heard in the operating theater. She twirled her straw in between her fingers in boredom.

“Hey, why don’t you tell me about how it went with Antonio today? What did you call him, again? Ant or something?” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

“Ante, actually. Like in poker.”

He chuckled. “Oh, that’s good. He didn’t really like that, but what’s he gonna do, huh?”

“I’ve actually been meaning to ask about that, doctor. He seems a little… how do I put it? Unknowledgeable? I thought I didn’t know that much when I did my first year, but he sounds like he didn’t even go at all.”

The bartender brought out Yuvo’s fried cheese curds with dipping sauce on the side. Once he caught a whiff of that salty and cheesy aroma, he couldn’t help himself. He grabbed three in one go and dunked them all, shoving the small handful in his mouth. “I’m so glad,” he said, still chewing, “that you say that.” 

“Can… can you finish chewing first?” she said, trying not to giggle, even if just a little.

Yuvo swallowed. “Oh, of course. Anyway, yeah, Antonio seemed like kind of a ditz. What do you kids call them nowadays? Himbos?”

Allie did a spit take. “How do _you_ know what that is?”

“I knew it! You young’uns are always coming up with the weirdest jargon. I can’t keep up anymore.”

“You need to spend less time on the internet, grandpa.” She couldn’t help but smirk.

Yuvo smiled. “I’ll spend as much time doing whatever will make you laugh. I need my students to be in high spirits, you know?”

“Actually, that reminds me…”

Yuvo’s smile faded. “What is it? Something on your mind, Allie?”

“Can I be blunt?” she asked.

“Of course.”

Allie took a sip before speaking. “Did you bring me here because you wanted to feel calm? Was this all for my affinity? Did that surgery mess you up so bad that you brought me along with you?”

“Not entirely. I mean, I _am_ concerned about you, Allie. But your affinity wasn’t the main reason why I wanted to bring you here. Yes, it helps me, but I’ve got experience in coping with work-related stress. I wanted to impart some of my wisdom onto you.”

“I see.”

“I can’t speak on your behalf, but when I feel overwhelmed, I take a break. Trying to power through stress and anxiety only makes it worse. It’s a vicious cycle, you see--I get stressed, so I make mistakes, which causes more stress, and so on. I think if you took a couple of days to take a step back, it would help you a lot. Then again, if you’re the kind of person who needs to keep busy, there’s not a lot I can do to stop you,” he said.

Allie finished her drink as he spoke, wiping her lips with her napkin. “I think the best thing I can do is keep going. At the same time, I think taking a day and speaking with some friends about what happened can help, too. I was thinking of taking tomorrow off and coming back the day after. I wanted to meet up with Hayley.”

“Of course,” Yuvo finished his drink as well. “Maybe you two should hang out and do something that takes your mind off of things. When I get stressed, I like to occupy my mind. Do some puzzles, watch movies, anything that gets you thinking about fun stuff.”

“I think we’ll do that. Thank you.” Allie spun around in her bar stool, ready to leave.

“Before you go,” Yuvo said finishing his food, “I think in times like these, aside from doing what you can to keep going, it helps to believe in something. Are you religious at all, Allie?”

“No.”

“That’s fine. You don’t need to believe in a god or anything, just _something_ that you can rely on. It can be as simple as the sun rising every morning--as long as you can believe in it.”

“Well, I do have something I almost believe in,” she said, sheepishly.

Yuvo’s interest was piqued. “Oh, really? Can you tell me more?”

Running her hand through her hair, she smiled gently. “It’s kinda silly. Mom and dad always told me we had a family angel who watched over us from the heavens. I don’t think they ever said what their name was, but I’d hear them tell me we’d always be protected from harm.”

“That’s really sweet,” Yuvo said.

“I’ve never seen any angel, but it would be nice to believe in. That’s the closest thing I have to any sort of spirituality.”

“Still, it’s nice to hold onto.”

“Yeah…” Allie reached into her pocket and grabbed her wallet, only for Yuvo to shake his head.

“I can handle that. Go home, enjoy yourself,” he said, sliding the bartender his money.

“...Thank you. Good night,” she said, excusing herself from the bar. 

“I’ll see you soon. Let me know if you need anything,” he waved, watching her leave. 

Allie exited the restaurant, stepping out into a warm and humid summer evening. The sun had just barely started to set, painting the sky with a light, pinkish hue. Some orange clouds dotted the sky between the towering buildings in front of her as swarms of busy street goers walked the streets. 

Hayley didn’t live that far away, thankfully. While Allie had only moved to Asutva City for schooling, Hayley was born and raised here. They had first met online a few years back, when Allie was still in high school. After discovering they both shared a love for trash films and television shows, they formed a fast friendship on enjoying the most garbage of media. Ironically, of course.

When it came time for Allie to move to Astuva for schooling, Hayley offered her a place to stay until her dorm situation was figured out. Allie thought it was much too kind of her, but she couldn’t turn down the offer. Even now, she still felt she owed Hayley, despite her protests to the contrary. 

After rounding the corner and walking a few blocks, Allie reached Hayley’s apartment complex. She had lived here since her mid-teens after scoring a rather large sum from a bug bounty for the Luchemita corporation years back. The money was great enough to get her foot in the door as a freelance ethical hacker and help her afford the down payment for her own apartment. The money just kept flowing in for her as she branched out into different disciplines. 

Allie always thought Hayley was a complete computer nerd. Then again, her affinities didn’t do her any favors. 

Allie buzzed in and made her way to the top floor. Down the hall and to the left lay room 1014--Hayley’s apartment. She could hear the sound of distant heavy dubstep, no doubt coming from _her_ room. Using her spare key, she let herself in. 

As expected, the hallway reeked of leftover takeout. The previously muted dubstep was now hitting her at full force like a punch to the chest. If she closed her eyes, she’d have thought she walked into a concert hall, not someone’s home. 

Down the hall was the living room. To Allie, Hayley didn’t live here so much as she _existed_ here. The only furnishing was a large computer desk, three or four computer towers, and two ultrawide monitors with a large stereo system mounted on the wall. Flashly, rainbow LEDs illuminated the otherwise dark room as Hayley sat in her gamer chair with the worst slouch Allie had ever seen. 

“Hayley!” she shouted, her voice drowned out by a swelling beat drop. 

Hayley paused the music and swiveled around with a small yawn. “Oh, hey. What’s up?”

“My tinnitus, apparently.” She rubbed her ears with a furrowed brow. “How do you listen to that stuff? And so loud, too?”

“You get used to it.”

“No thank you. I like being able to hear when people shout for me.”

Hayley feigned surprise. “Oh, gods, I am _so_ sorry. I didn’t realize people actually _spoke_ to communicate anymore. I thought all of our interaction as a society was through words on a screen.”

“You’re such a smart-ass,” she giggled.

“Smartest dropout this side of Austva. Anyway, what can I do ya for? You never come hang out without a good reason,” Hayley asked.

Allie glanced behind her and grabbed a chair next to the kitchen. “I kinda just needed to get my mind off of things,” she said as she dragged the chair closer. “Work’s been hell, as you can imagine.”

“Yep, totally get it. Anyway, I made a little headway on what you told me earlier about that pyroma thing. Wanna hear about it?”

Just when she thought she had gotten over it, hearing the word _pyroma_ resurfaced all of her painful memories. She glanced to the side and grabbed her elbow, as if to look away from the agony before her. However, she knew she couldn’t ignore it forever. “Tell me.”

Hayley, not sensing Allie’s discomfort, explained what she knew. “Well, apparently someone on the dark web’s been searching around for more information on those things, too. What’s interesting is that I found nothing when searching for flaming masses growing in people’s chest, or anything like that. Only the word _pyroma_ turned up any sort of result.”

Allie’s ears perked and she turned back towards Hayley. “That’s odd. That isn’t a known term at all. It’s something Doctor Yuvo made up on the spot.”

“Really? Well, that makes this even _more_ suspicious!” Hayley spun around and clacked away at her keyboard, pulling up a dark web forum post. “Check it out.”

Allie scooted forward. Reading aloud, she said, “The doctors called it a pyroma. My brother said he lost his affinity and has been inconsolable ever since. Just what the hell happened? Can anybody explain? Anyone?”

Hayley scrolled down. “There’s more.”

Allie continued reading aloud. There was a second post by the same user. “All he had done before it happened was go in for a focus test. He won’t talk to me about it.”

“Now _that’s_ what I’m interested in. Unfortunately, the post ends here. I kinda wanted to dig up more about this focus test, but I can’t seem to find anything else.”

Allie rubbed her forehead in confusion. “You don’t seriously think these are being caused on purpose, do you? Like, is this supposed to be some sick experiment or something?”

“Can’t rule it out. You’re the doc, you tell me what’s going on,” she shrugged.

“I… I don’t know. I’d need more information. I can try asking around at work when I go back in, if that’s okay.”

“Go for it. Anything you can dig up that’d point me in the right direction would be awesome. Dig around, ask some people, find out whatever you can about that focus test. Hell, maybe even join in on it if you can.”

“That sounds… dangerous,” Allie glanced at Hayley, wondering if she was actually serious.

“I’d do it,” she said, swiveling back around. “Whatever it takes to know the truth.”

“But if both patients went to that focus test…”

“Wait, _both_? There was another one today?” Hayley asked.

Allie hesitated. “...Yeah. A Creaden woman. She didn’t make it--died of heart failure mid-operation.” The words stung her lips like a harsh breeze. 

“Oh, Allie…”

“I’m fine. A little disturbed, but that’s part of the job. I’ll get over it.”

Hayley grabbed her phone from the desk and unlocked it. “Hey, want some takeout or something? My treat. We can get dessert, too, if you’d like.”

Before she could protest, Allie’s stomach rumbled. “I, uh…”

“Alright, that settles it. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and I’ll order your usual? You know, from the old days?”

Allie sighed. “I know better than to say no to you.”

“Fuck yeah you do. Anyway, you can get cozy in my bed and put on some TV or something. Just kidding, I cut the cable years ago. I’ve got a bunch of movies and shows on my NAS.”

“Hayley, I don’t know what a _NAS_ is. Don’t you have a streaming subscription or something?”

“And pay $10 a month for each show I want to watch? Ridiculous. I’ll stick to pirating, thank you. Oh, and the NAS is like, uh, if you streamed from home instead of somewhere else. Just load the computer near my bed and go from there. Should be pretty easy.”

“I’ll try. Can I shout and ask for help?” Allie asked.

“You’d probably be better off messaging me. Reading’s easier when the music’s not so loud.”

“Oh, yeah. Right,” she smirked.

“Anyway, make yourself comfy. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

Allie got up. “Thank you,” she said, excusing herself into Hayley’s bedroom. When she entered, the familiar stale air greeted her, as if to say, ‘Welcome back!’ The windows were more for decoration than they were for letting in fresh air. Allie suspected they had been caked shut from disuse after all these years. Hayley’s surprisingly large queen-size bed took up the majority of the room, the head up against the wall and the foot facing outward. There was a large screen TV on the wall opposite the bed with a small computer tower at the bottom.

Allie made herself comfortable on the bed’s soft, cushiony memory foam. She could almost _feel_ how Hayley slept in this thing. It made her miss the old days when they’d share a smaller, less comfortable bed. Compared to that old thing, this new bed felt like sleeping on a cloud atop a marshmallow floating in hot chocolate. It was warm, it was soft, it was just so _inviting_. 

She grabbed a smart remote on the nightstand next to her and turned on the screen. There was an interface where Allie could select a number of files to play. Each of them had an amusing name--definitely nicknamed by Hayley. The latest season of _Bio-Evil_ was labeled ‘ _What if Bio-Evil suddenly had competent writers?’_

Allie smirked as she encased herself in the bed’s comforter. The gentle embrace made her feel a lot more at ease with everything that had happened. As terrible as things were, she suddenly felt reinvigorated. Maybe things would work out.


	5. Ashen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie investigates further into the pyroma phenomenon.

Allie arrived at the hospital after her impromptu day off. Still bearing the weight of what had happened, she marched onward with all the strength she could muster. After all, that patient would have died for nothing if she didn’t find out more about what happened.

She entered into the blindingly bright lobby in her usual white coat, fitting right in with all of the doctors. It made her feel a little uneasy, but she pressed onward. Not wasting any time, she ascended the stairs and worked her way over to Yuvo’s office. Giving it a quick knock, she let herself in and shut the door.

“Good to see you, Allie. You caught me at a good time!” He gestured to the chair at the front of his wooden desk. “Take a seat. We can chat.”

Allie sat down and took a quick glance around his office. It was rather quietly decorated, hardly more than a couple of personal knickknacks among stacks of papers and folders. He would share this office with a couple of other colleagues depending on their hours of work, so he couldn’t personalize it  _ too _ much. It was already a blessing to have a dedicated office to begin with.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“A bit better. I’ve actually got something to ask you, doctor,” she leaned forward with her hands folded on her lap.

“I’m all ears, my dear. Tell me.”

“You coined the term  _ pyroma _ , right? Like, this wasn’t a previously known medical term or anything?” 

“Correct. Why?” He seemed genuinely confused as to what her point was. At least, that’s what Allie thought.

“Well, I did some digging in some of the less, er,  _ public _ parts of the internet, and I found someone mentioning the word pyroma. I was wondering if you knew anything about that?”

Yuvo furrowed his brow. “I can’t say I would. As much as I like the term, I’d never use it in a professional diagnosis until it’s formally recognized as a medical condition.” He paused to think. “Maybe I should copyright the term? You know, before anyone else can,” he said, smirking.

“Strange,” she said, leaning back, arms still folded. “The post on the forum I saw was apparently the first patient’s sibling. They specifically used the word  _ pyroma _ .” 

“That… doesn’t make sense. I coined the term, yes, but nobody would use it to tell the patient and his family what had happened,” he explained.

Allie squinted and tilted her head. “Who here knows about the pyroma?”

“Hm,” Yuvo scratched his chin. “The cardiologist, Tract, whatever nurses were in the room, yourself, and the two lab techs I spoke to when I handed over the pyroma sample both times.”

“I see. So it’d have to be one of them, and I can’t imagine it’d be the lab techs since they don’t interact with the general public, right?” Allie asked.

Yuvo nodded. “You could try speaking to whoever’s available and see if they know more.”

“Good idea. I’ll see who I can find,” she said, standing up. “If you hear anything, text me.”

“Will do. Good luck.”

Allie excused herself and entered the bustling hallway. Her plan was to get to the nearest computer and search for the schedules of anyone who was involved in the first pyroma surgery. She knew Tract by name, but didn’t recall anyone else. Making her way down the hall, she came across an unused computer behind one of the desks. She sat down and logged in, navigating to the local scheduling program.

The computer was painfully slow--a feeling that she had never gotten quite used to. Whenever she needed information fast, the computer would drag its heels and complain as much as possible. She wished Hayley would come and upgrade all of their systems, just to save her a couple of minutes of her day. 

“Whatcha looking at?” A voice interrupted her train of thought. 

Startled, she looked up and saw Antonio leaning over the computer monitor, grinning. “Don’t scare me like that.” She considered slapping him, just to get even.

“You looked so intense. I had no idea you could get so focused,” he said.

“How long were you watching?”

Antonio pulled up his sleeve, checking his imaginary watch. “Two minutes.”

Allie groaned, focusing back on her computer screen. She had just pulled up Tract’s schedule and saw he would be available in just a few minutes. 

“So, what are we doing today? Playing  _ Mineclearer _ on the clock?” 

“As much as I’d like to say so, I’ve got something important to research. Do you think you could check on the IV drips for everyone on this floor, or something?” she said, barely paying any attention to him.

“That sounds like busywork,” he complained.

“Good guess! That’s because it is.”

Antonio couldn’t stand the thought of dealing with Ms. Rose again. “Can I help you look into whatever you’re looking into? It sounds important, right? Maybe you’d need some help with that?” he offered.

Allie threw her head back and sighed. “Okay, fine. I need you to ask Doctor Tract about something. He’ll be on his way to the operating theater on the first floor near the back in about ten minutes. Meet him there and ask him if he told anyone about the pyroma. He’ll know what it means.”

“Pyroma…?” Antonio asked, confused. “What’s that?”

“I’ll explain later. Just go meet up with him and see what he knows. Meet me back here once you find out, okay? I have to go speak with a couple of other people.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll see you in a bit,” he said before disappearing down the hall. 

Now alone, Allie tried to recall the cardiologist that was on hand during the surgery. Was it Cormeum, she thought? Her memory escaped her, but she figured to ask anyway. Conveniently, he was supposed to be coming back from his lunch break any minute now. 

She got up and made her way to the cafeteria. Dozens upon dozens of hungry nurses, patients, guests, and the like congregated here for overpriced and under-seasoned foods. Several large, circular tables dotted the cafeteria, but Cormeum was nowhere to be found at any of them. Do doctors normally eat at the cafeteria, she thought? Did they go out for lunch? Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t quite sure why she’d come here. 

That was, until she saw Cormeum staring intently at a vending machine against the wall. He looked visibly agitated; his arms folded and brow furrowed. Letting out a loud huff, he tapped his foot impatiently and pushed the vending machine. 

Allie walked up next to him and saw that a chocolate bar had gotten stuck against the glass. “No wonder you’re so frustrated, Doctor Cormeum.”

“Oh, hello,” he said, staring at his trapped treat. “As you can see, I’m in a bit of a predicament.”

“I can tell. Need some help?” she asked.

“If you could, I’d be in your debt. A sweet, sweet, chocolate-y debt.” 

She swore he was drooling, but put the thought out of her mind. She crouched down and reached her hand up through the slotted port. Her lithe and flexible arms allowed her fingertips to graze the chocolate bar, giving it just enough of a wiggle to let it loose. 

“Oh, gods in heaven, thank you so much!” Cormeum bent over and fished out his candy. He gave it a quick sniff, despite it being fully packaged. “Come to papa,” he said, unwrapping it quickly and taking a large bite. 

Allie watched in horror as a grown man slurped and chomped on his chocolate bar. Saliva dripped down the side and onto the wrapper as Cormeum shuddered in pleasure. She wondered if she were somehow intruding on a private moment by watching him savor his sweets.

“Oh, right,” he said between chews, “need something?”

“Yes, yes I did. Can I ask you about that surgery from last week? With the patient who had to have that  _ thing _ excised from their chest?” She leaned in close to whisper it.

Cormeum shook his head. “Can you jog my memory? I don’t really remember that.”

“Yuvo called the growth a pyroma. Does that sound familiar?”

Cormeum took a contemplative bite of his snack. “Hmm, not really. You should speak to Bella--she was one of the nurses with me around then. I think she stuck around after I left. The patient didn’t have any cardiovascular difficulties, so I didn’t really do much.”

“I see. Where is Bella now?” she asked.

“Check on the fourth floor. She’s doing her rounds now, but you can catch her if you’re quick.”

“Thank you! I’ll check with her now!” Allie wasted no time leaving, not wanting to see him take another bite.

After taking the elevator and walking down the hall (and asking a couple of people), Allie found Bella at a desk. Bella was a fox woman in her mid to late thirties, a mother of two. Her nose was buried in a patient’s file as she scratched her head.

“Hi, Bella?” Allie leaned over the desk.

Bella looked up. “Oh, you’re Yuvo’s assistant. Allie, right?”

“Yeah! Hey, I need to ask you a question or two, is that okay?”

She nodded. “Sure, what’s up?”

“Do you know anything about that pyroma surgery from last week? I asked Cormeum but he said to ask you.”

“Oh, that? Yeah, I remember that. It was for that patient…” she paused, recalling his name. “Jeffreys, I think? Anyway, he was almost impossible to talk to after the surgery. His family asked what was going on, so I told them about the surgery,” she explained.

Allie nodded along, realizing Bella probably let it slip about the pyroma. However, she had a more important question to ask. “Did his family say anything about what had happened before? Something about a focus test?”

“I  _ think _ so? Why do you ask?”

“Just tell me more. Did they say when or where it happened? Or what it was about?”

Bella paused. “Um, hm… The only company that really does focus testing to the general public like that is Alchemist. Aside from that, I can’t think of anything else.”

“I see. Thank you, Bella.” 

“No problem! Good luck with whatever you’re doing!”

Allie reached for her phone as she walked out. She knew exactly who she needed to talk to. 

[10:10] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley, I’ve got a lead. 

[10:10] **AlleyAlly** : Luchemita does focus testing that’s open to the public. Think about it: big pharmaceutical company, testing on people’s affinities, it just feels right.

[10:10] **PhantomEyes** : hmmmm

[10:10] **PhantomEyes** : ok i can take a look into luchemita then

[10:11] **AlleyAlly** : Do you still have any connections to them? You had that bug bounty thing a few years back, right? 

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : kinda sorta

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : like i got to tour their facility but they didnt really tell me much

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : tbh was kinda sleepy, p sure i was texting for most of it

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : but all i know is how their network and security infrastructure is setup

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : not sure how thatd help you at all 

[10:11] **AlleyAlly** : Good point. I’ll try searching around on some Luchemita stuff on my end. You keep looking in that deep web for more.

[10:11] **PhantomEyes** : dark web

[10:12] **AlleyAlly** : Is now the best time for this?

[10:12] **PhantomEyes** : jeez sorry 

[10:12] **AlleyAlly** : Hit me up when you have more info. See ya soon.

[10:12] **PhantomEyes** : ok later 

Returning to the desk near Yuvo’s office, Allie happened upon Antonio. He had been sitting with his legs kicked up onto the desk, leaning back in his chair. With one arm folded around his stomach and his other scrolling on his phone, he yawned quietly. 

“ _ Ante _ .” Allie slammed her hands on the desk.

Antonio nearly jumped as his phone flew out of his hand. He caught it quickly and pocketed it as fast as he could, laughing nervously. “Oh, h-hey. I wasn’t texting.” He sat up straight. “I just got back from meeting up with Doctor Tract.” 

Allie rested her elbows on the desk, hands folded atop one another. “Tell me more.” Her cold stare burrowed deep into his fur and flesh.

“H-he, uh, said he didn’t really know much of anything. All he knew was Yuvo said it mid surgery, but that was pretty much it.” 

“Damn…” she muttered, glancing aside. “Well, that’s fine. I got what I needed to know, so thanks anyway.”

“Can you tell me what’s going on? I’m running all these errands for you, but I have no idea why.”

“I… guess? I don’t see any reason not to tell you.” Allie walked behind the desk and grabbed a chair, sitting next to Antonio. “Recently, we’ve had two patients come in with unusual growths in their chests. The growths were relatively large and incredibly hot to the touch.”

Antonio nodded along as he folded his arms. “So this is a new thing? I mean, I haven’t heard of this happening before,” he said as he leaned back in his chair. “It’d make sense why you’re investigating it.”

“I want to know what’s going on, if anything. Is there some kind of plague being unleashed upon us? Is there some secret experiment going horribly wrong? Are we just discovering a phenomenon that’s as old as we are, but had no prior documentation of? I  _ have _ to find out,” she said.

“Why do you have to know? Isn’t your job to treat people, not do this ace detective stuff?” he asked.

“Because if I can find out  _ why _ it’s happening, we can stop it. Fewer pyroma victims means fewer people in hospitals, which means less work for us. You get the picture.”

Antonio scratched his chin. “That’s awfully pragmatic of you.” 

“Someone has to be. My grandpa always said I was just like his father.”

Antonio smirked. “Was that meant to be a compliment? Maybe he was making fun of you. I mean, you look so serious.” 

Allie’s expression didn’t change. “I can joke when I want to. Now’s not the time.”

“Jeez. I can tell. You’re so tense from when I first met you, Allie. I mean, I know we’ve only seen each other like, twice. But still! You called me Ante just before, so you can’t be  _ that _ grumpy.” 

“...Have I been that bad?” Allie’s face twisted with concern. 

Antonio nodded. “Aaalllll day,” he said with a long drawl.

Allie threw her head back in her seat and groaned. Staring at the ceiling, she said, “Fine, I’ll be more cheery--on one condition.”

“Oh?” his ears perked.

Allie sat back up, eyeing him casually. “Let’s hang out this weekend. I’ve got some plans I could use your help with.”

“Sounds like a date,” he said with a goofy grin. 

“In your dreams. Besides, it’s unethical for bosses to date their subordinates,” she retorted.

“Hey! You’re not my boss! You’re a student like I am!” 

Allie shrugged. “I’m your sort-of-boss. If it’s good enough for me, then it’s good enough for you. Do you want me to get Yuvo involved on this?”

“Do you want me to tell him that you just called him Yuvo and not ‘doctor?’”

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing I’ve done to him, to be honest.” 

“Now  _ that _ sounds like a story.” 

Allie wondered briefly if she should tell him about  _ the incident _ back when she was a second year medical student. While she’d love to tell him, she wanted to keep him guessing. It was more fun that way. “I’m sure you’d like to know,” she grinned.

“Eh, not bad enough to guess. It’s probably something benign anyway, like you accidentally called him ‘dad’ or something.” 

_ Shit _ , she thought.  _ He’s not so easy to tease _ . “I will neither confirm nor deny these accusations.”

“I see, I see. Playing it cool. That’s fine. Maybe I’ll just ask Yuvo myself,” he suggested.

Allie snorted. “As if he’d tell you.”

“I have a way with words,” Antonio said, sounding so serious. 

Allie wondered if he was just incredibly unaware of how he presented himself to others or incredibly cocky. “Right.” 

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Reaching in, she checked and saw a text from Yuvo.  _ Time’s up, need you to show Antonio how to do the rounds. _

“Who’s that?” Antonio asked, staring at her phone. 

“Oh, it’s just  _ Doctor _ Yuvo,” she said with heavy emphasis. “Wants me to show you how to do the rounds. You know, just check up on everyone, make sure everything is going smoothly. Basic stuff since you’re still new.”

“As long as it’s not with that old hag, I can live with it. Who’s up first? Gunshot victim? Someone with a rare and infectious disease?” he asked, getting excited.

“...Colonoscopy.”

Antonio’s expression dropped. “Please, no. Not that. I’ll take the old hag anytime.”

Allie nodded. “Thought so. How about an x-ray for a young boy who fell while skateboarding?”

“Fine,” he sighed. “Let’s go.” 

For a while, Allie had forgotten all about her worries. Something about Antonio’s presence just made her feel more comfortable, more at ease. Is this what others felt around her? It wasn’t like Antonio could have an affinity--he was a wolfman, not a Creaden or Simenti. Only Creaden or Simenti could have affinities. 

But still, it was nice to forget, even if for a little while.


	6. The Glimmer of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie and Antonio do some recon.

The weekend rolled around, much to Allie’s surprise. Her days felt more like hours as of late. Still, she appreciated a good weekend as much as the next person. Hers wouldn’t be restful this time, however, as she had arranged a  _ date _ . Well, not really a  _ date _ date, more of just a correspondence with a colleague. That she’d known for about a week or two, tops. 

Questionable description aside, she had resolved to find out more about what Luchemita’s focus testing involved. Not knowing all the details made her feel uneasy. Her career would revolve around amassing a large pool of knowledge, picking and choosing what she needed as the situation called for it. Having gaps in her understanding was unacceptable. 

Allie had agreed to meet up with Antonio at the nearest cafe to the hospital. There was a little shop that somehow had not been sold to one of the larger coffee chains in the country. It was a mom and pop kind of place, somewhere personal and familiar. Allie liked that a lot, especially since it was such a rarity in the city. Where she came from,  _ every  _ store was a mom and pop store. 

She sat at a small table for two, sipping her latte while scrolling on her phone. Antonio was late. While frustrating, it wasn’t unexpected.  _ Boys will be boys _ , she thought. She had briefly considered messaging Hayley and joking that this was exactly why she mostly preferred women. Mostly. 

After a short while, Antonio entered the shop and immediately located Allie. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, setting his bag down next to the seat across from her. He sat and rested his elbows on the table. He wore his casual outfit today: his long gray jacket, black tank top, jeans, and his (somewhat) stylish key necklace. 

“You know, Ante, people joke that women like to show up fifteen minutes late with coffee. Somehow, you show up fifteen minutes late to  _ get _ coffee,” she said, sipping her drink. 

“You wound me, Allie.”

“Why don’t you get some coffee. I’ve already waited long enough here, what’s a few more minutes?” 

Antonio stood up. “Alright. Watch my stuff, will you?” 

She nodded, barely paying much attention.

The wolf got up, pretending he didn’t hear her protests. He made his way to the back of the line and placed his order. Curious, Allie overheard him and noticed he likes his coffee black. 

She stared down at her overly-sweetened drink. Milk foam, steamed milk, extra sugar, and some chocolate shavings on top. It was less of a coffee and more of a dessert. Still, it was socially acceptable, and that was good enough for her. 

Antonio returned with his coffee, taking a quick sip as he sat down. “So, what’s on the agenda today?”

“Before that, you really take your coffee black?” she asked,  _ needing _ to know.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Not really much of a fan of sweet things, personally.”

“So you’re more of a dark chocolate kinda guy?”

“I like the 99% stuff,” he said between sips.

Allie nodded. “Maybe you like bitter so much because--”

“‘Cause I’m so bitter, right?” he guessed.

“Because you’re so sweet, you need the contrast,” she smirked. “Otherwise you’d just have cavities all the time.” 

Antonio blushed slightly, covering it with his cup. “Clever.”

“Thank you.” She sipped her drink, finishing it up. “Anyway, we’re gonna take a tour at Luchemita’s office here in Asutva. I wanna know more about what they’re up to.”

“You really think they’re up to something?” he asked.

“I don’t know. That’s why I want to go.”

“I see. So what exactly is this tour?” 

Allie pulled out her phone and showed the screen to him. “Here’s their website. They offer tours to the general public to show off their labs. See anything?”

Antonio grabbed the phone and scrolled down the page. Their site was full of complicated jargon, pictures of smiling lab workers, and boasts of ‘creating the future.’ However, something did catch his eye towards the very bottom of the page. “They offer discounts to university students?”

“No.”

“They offer… scholarships? Internships?”

“Keep looking.”

“...Competitive salary and benefits?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She snatched the phone out of his hand and scrolled up. She pointed to their research topics listed to the side. “They’re doing research on the social impacts of affinities in modern society.”

“Aaaaand what does this have to do with the pyromas?”

Allie dropped her phone onto the tabletop. “The patients lost their affinities after getting their pyroma removed. Sounds a little suspicious, don’t you think?”

“Ohhh, I see.”

“Good. Ready to head on out?” she asked, putting her phone away.

“I just got my coffee! Can’t I drink it some more?” he pleaded as he eyed his liquid gold.

“You can drink and walk. I waited twenty minutes for you.” Allie stood up and grabbed Antonio by the wrist, dragging him out of the shop. 

“You know, when I woke up today, I wasn’t expecting to get manhandled like this,” he said.

“Is that a complaint? It doesn’t really sound like it.”

“I wouldn’t let just  _ anyone _ manhandle me, you know.” 

Allie rolled her eyes. “Lucky me.”

Antonio huffed. How  _ dare _ she not play into his advances? “I was voted most dateable in high school, I’ll have you know.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

Slowly, Antonio started to realize he wasn’t going to win. Maybe brute force wasn’t the option. Quickly changing topics, he asked, “So, what exactly are we going to do once we get to Luchemita? Pin down the first scientist we see and interrogate them?”

Allie was leading Antonio down the city streets. The sun beamed overhead as a gentle yet cold breeze blew by. “We’ll improvise. I just want to see if this is a lead we should concern ourselves with.”

“And if it isn't?” he asked.

“We’ll improvise some more. Come on, not much further now.”

Allie and Antonio reached a large office complex on the corner of two major roads. The foot traffic here was far more dense than any other block they had passed by. Hordes of people flooded in and out of the building, putting the multiple revolving doors to good use. The building itself was a pure white monolith with windows dotted about each floor. 

In big, bright letters towards the middle top of the building were the words ‘LUCHEMITA LABORATORIES.’ According to what Allie had read up on, this was the head office. They had satellite offices across the country of Deseus and were looking to expand into other nations, such as Sabine and Catol to the south, or even Ensam to the north east. 

Allie and Antonio entered the offices, immediately greeted by industrial strength air conditioning that cooled their fur almost instantly. To say it was refreshing would be an understatement. 

Directly ahead of them was a long white desk with multiple attendants sitting behind it. Neat and orderly lines of people gathered in front of each of them--something Allie found interesting. Everything was so  _ orderly _ here. The floors were immaculate, the walls pristine; it was all so  _ sterile _ . It was a lot like Astuva Hospital, only… cleaner. She didn’t think it was possible. 

“Excuse me,” a voice called out from behind them. “Do you two need help?” An employee wearing a white lab coat and an ID badge approached them. She was a rather tall avian woman with sky-blue feathers and orange chest feathers. Her bright smile--or rather, what Allie interpreted as a beak’s smile--matched her face perfectly. She fit the image of serenity completely. 

“Oh, uh, we were here for a tour,” Allie stammered, slightly off guard. “We’re medical students from Astuva Hospital, and--”

“Goodness! It’s always a pleasure to have future doctors stop by. Come here, I’ll get you two visitor badges and I can show you around, if you’d like.”

“That’d be lovely. Thank you.”

“My name is Avem. I’ll show you around our medical facilities and show you some of our current research. Did you two have any concentrations or majors or anything like that?” she explained, guiding them down towards one of the desks to the side.

Allie spoke up. “I’m  _ really _ interested in affinity studies. Like,  _ really _ into it. Can’t get enough. Are you doing any sort of research into anything like that?” 

Antonio glanced worryingly at Allie. “What the…” 

“Oh! I think we’re looking into something like that, actually. Come over here so I can take your pictures. You’ll need badges before we can head any deeper into the labs, you see.” Avem walked behind a counter and angled a webcam towards Allie. “Smile!” 

Allie wasn’t quite ready and the camera snapped her picture as she was midway through her smile. When the photo exited the bluetooth printer in front of her, she could see half of her mouth angled upward and the other half downward. She was also, unfortunately, mid-blink. “Can we, uh, take a new one?” she asked.

“What’s wrong with…” Avem grabbed the photo and glanced. “Oh, uh, yeah. Yeah, we can.” She shredded the photo and tossed it in the garbage nearby. She snapped Allie’s new photo and slapped it onto a visitor’s badge and attached it to a lanyard. The photo was still hideous, but a far cry from her first attempt. 

“My turn?” Antonio asked, finally speaking up. Allie almost forgot he was even here. 

“Of course, sir. Stand over here and smile. Or don’t.” 

Antonio took Allie’s place and began to flex. His coat sleeves covered up any muscles he may have had, but considering he was as thin as a rail…

“OK, wow, I’ve never seen someone pose like that. The photo is only of your face anyway, but whatever works for you!” Avem said, snapping the photo. She attached it to a badge on a lanyard and handed it to him. 

Allie put her face in her hands, hoping this was just a bad dream. Unfortunately, nightmares are far less terrifying than this social faux pas. “So, uh, what now?” she asked, trying to clear her mind as quickly as possible.

“If you look on the back of your badges,” Avem said, “there’s a little floorplan of our labs. You only have access to the first floor, second floor, and first-level basement. The cafeteria is on the second floor, along with all the recreational stuff for visitors like you guys. However, we typically take tours in the first-level basement. We have a sort of vertical slice for you to observe.”

“You guys take tours seriously, huh?” Antonio asked, eyeing his badge.

“Of course. We’ve built our brand on trust and transparency. In fact, if you’ve been working at Astuva Hospital for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen our products in use.” Avem typed away at the computer behind the desk before twisting the monitor towards Allie and Antonio. “You might recognize Luchemita’s anaphylaxis inhibitor. This was something we had a lot of fun developing! Building off of our prior research into how the body generates histamines, we were able to find a way to halt that process entirely.”

Allie nodded. “Yes, I’m familiar. I know a couple of people who’ve been prescribed it to treat their food allergies.” 

Antonio’s mouth went agape. “This existed for  _ how long _ ?”

Avem shrugged. “A couple of years, I think. It’s one of the more expensive medicines, unfortunately. It costs a lot to produce and sell, plus it’s not strictly necessary unless someone has an extreme allergy. Many people who use it simply just can’t get enough of a certain food they’d otherwise be unable to eat.”

Antonio’s ears drooped. “Wish I could afford it. I’ve always wondered how seafood tastes.”

“You’re allergic to seafood?” Allie asked.

“Yeah. Have been since I was young. Still, I probably couldn’t afford that inhibitor even now.” 

Avem coughed. “In any case, I’d take it you’d like to tour the affinity research labs, correct?”

“Yes, please.” Allie said. 

“Great! Follow me.” Avem took Allie and Antonio down a busy hallway. Much like the lobby and outside of the building, the floors and walls were pure white. Paintings decorated the walls where doors did not. The paintings themselves were mostly about Luchemita’s history or something that they had accomplished. They looked expensive as well--each had an ornate and detailed frame, not even looking at the actual quality of the paintings.

Avem called the elevator to the first floor and watched the doors open. “Step inside, please,” she said, gesturing inside. 

Allie and Antonio gathered in and watched Avem bring them down to the first-level basement. Immediately, they could tell the hallways were much less pristine than they were upstairs, but still quite impressive. 

“We’ll be walking into the fourth door to the right. I believe Solum is in there right now, actually.”

“Who’s Solum?” Allie asked.

“He’s one of the lead researchers in our affinity division. He’s a bit… eccentric.” Avem opened the door, revealing a small office. There were chairs up against the walls and a large rug at the center with some coffee tables. 

To Allie, this looked like a sort of lounge for Luchemita employees under the affinity division. Perhaps they all entered through here to carry out their research? Either way, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a single earbud, small enough to be concealed by her ear fluff. She did so under the guise of scratching her scalp, doing her best to hide her movements. 

Antonio caught wind of what she had been doing, but said nothing. Instead, he glanced around and appreciated the lounge vibes the room gave off. “This looks a lot like a break room,” he commented.

“You’re pretty close! Sometimes we have guests come in, such as yourselves, and they wait here. Also, our employees do actually use it as a break room from time to time,” Avem explained. 

As she spoke, a younger gentleman stepped inside from a door on the opposite end of the room. He wore the typical white lab coat and ID badge, like all Luchemita employees. He was a black cat man of lean build and moderate height with large, square lens glasses. His bright, golden eyes pierced through his dark fur, along with his white chin-fur and whiskers. When he noticed Allie and Antonio, his ears perked, revealing their pink interior. “Oh, this is a surprise, Avem. Tours today?” His grin was wide and bright. 

“Yes, Solum. They’re students at Astuva Hospital and wanted to learn more about our affinity research. Would you be so kind as to show them what you’ve been working on?” 

“Of course! It’d be my pleasure! Especially considering we have a Creaden here. Tell me, ma’am, are you a  _ Sine Affinitas _ ?” 

“That’s kind of blunt, don’t you think?” she asked.

Avem swatted the back of Solum’s head. “I’m sorry for his behavior. As brilliant as he is, he has  _ zero _ social experience whatsoever.”

“My apologies. Er, do you have an affinity? What  _ is _ your name anyway?” he asked.

“Allie. And yes, I have a calming aura. Simple, but effective.” She folded her arms and gave him a nonplussed stare. 

“Intriguing! So you’re a Creaden with a spirit affinity, not earth, air, or space. Do you have any Simenti friends with an energy, water, fire, or time affinity?” he asked.

“Well, kinda. She’s a Creaden-Simenti hybrid but with an energy affinity. She’s like a living computer, it’s  _ amazing _ , really. She’s the best. Whenever she gets on an electronic device, it just kinda clicks with her,” Allie said.

“Fascinating. I wonder if her being a hybrid somehow amplified her affinity’s strength. You know the theory that the overall strength of affinities has been dwindling? Even in our grandparents’ lifetimes, affinities were so much more potent than they are nowadays,” Solum rambled, flailing his hands about as he spoke. “That’s why it’s so fascinating to me, really.”

“Is it weird, studying something that you can’t experience for yourself?” Antonio asked.

“You tell me,” he pointed at the wolf. “In all seriousness, it’s no different than studying history, I imagine. I’ll never get to  _ live it _ , but that doesn’t mean I can’t be intrigued by it. Does that make sense?”

“I... guess? I never really thought much about affinities since I couldn’t get one. I didn’t know very many people growing up who had one, anyway,” he said.

“Understandable. I hope your little…  _ friend _ Antonio appreciates and values hers.” 

The way Solum emphasized the word  _ friend _ made Allie’s fur stand on end. What was he implying? “Very much so. Anyway, do you have anywhere to show us? I’d love to see what you do.” 

Solum blushed. “Oh, um, I suppose it couldn’t hurt. I’ll take you to my office and I can show you some research notes. I’ve been specializing in the social aspects of affinities in the modern era, but I’ve also dabbled in historical affinities and societies. I fancy myself an affinipologist.”

“Affinity anthropologist...?” Allie asked.

“Yup! Come with me, I have some absolutely riveting documents I would love to share with you.” 

“Lead the way, please.” Allie’s attention was certainly piqued. She had to adjust the earpiece subtly as she felt it was coming loose. The last thing in the world she needed right now was to explain why she had a single earbud with an embedded microphone. If all went well, Allie could comb through the audio recording on her phone later. For now, she needed to get as much as she could.

Solum took Allie and Antonio through the door and into another hallway. Before long, he walked up to his office door and opened it, walking inside first. He sat down at a large, oak desk and bent forward to open a drawer. As Allie and Antonio entered, they admired the rustic aesthetic of his office. It felt cozy, much like a grandparent’s home would. The floor was decorated with an ornate rug and the walls had photos of what appeared to be him and his family or close friends. 

There were also maps of the continent of Omnia. On one of the maps were blue and red dots, one on Sabine’s capital and the other on Catol’s. Allie was perplexed by this map, but shrugged it off. She sat down at one of the cushioned chairs across Solum’s desk. Antonio sat in a chair next to hers.

“Let’s see here…” Solum mumbled from beneath his desk. He grabbed a folder and sat back up, plopping it down and spreading out the contents. “So… somewhere in here is my…”

“What are we looking at here, exactly?” Antonio leaned forward, trying to read the upside-down papers.

“Lots of paper and ink. Hold on…” Solum finally isolated a single document with the title ‘Recent History.’ He put on reading glasses and cleared his throat.

“Reading glasses? How old are you?” Antonio asked.

“I just turned 27,” he said.

“Oh, no. Is my vision gonna get much worse at 27? I’m already stressing about my astigmatism.” Antonio tapped his glasses nervously.

Allie glanced at Antonio, her eyes begging the question,  _ why are you such a weirdo _ ? Wanting to change the topic quickly, she said, “Mmhm. Anyway, please continue,” she said, glancing at Solum. 

“Oh, of course.” He cleared his throat once more. “To be honest, I was kind of enthralled with your bickering. Are you sure you’re not radio hosts or something?” 

Radio hosts? In this day and age? Allie couldn’t imagine why anyone would listen to the radio willingly. It was all about the podcasts nowadays. Allie couldn’t stop thinking about his comment.  _ He just turned 27 _ , she thought.  _ He should know better _ . Only, grandparents listened to it anymore.

“I’d like to imagine that we are, but that would be too much to ask for,” Antonio sighed wistfully, imagining a more peaceful job.

“I see. Let’s begin, then.” Solum’s eyes scanned across the page as he began to speak, “It is said that affinities have been dwindling in potency for as long as standard recorded history can recall. The legends never made such note, and relying on mythos for verity would be a fool’s errand.” He paused and jumped to the end of his notes. “I have come to the conclusion that affinities can be compared to a sort of ‘big bang,’ if you will. When first passed down from generation to generation, affinities were likely very potent. Now that we are witnessing their overall strength degrading, I hypothesize that we may one day live in a society without affinities altogether.”

“Is that so?” Allie asked.

“Yes, at least, that’s my theory. I’ve received funding from Luchemita to research this in detail. It’s quite difficult, as you can imagine. Perhaps you two might be interested in joining us someday? We could use the help.” 

“I’ll definitely consider it. Is this the extent of your research? Is there anything else you’ve been doing or anything you guys have been working on?” Allie asked, hoping for more. 

“My, aren’t you a curious one. You could learn a thing or two from this one, Antonio. You know, we sometimes recruit doctors or residents from Astuva Hospital and on-board them here. Their experience is invaluable in our research--and not just for affinities. Everything!”

Antonio laughed, “Oh, uh, maybe one day. I’ll need to get through medical school first, though!”

Allie shrugged. “I’m interested, but tell me what I could specialize in. Would I be doing, er, affinipology with you? Or would I be doing something more modern?”

“That’s up to you. We’ve got room for whatever you’d be interested in, provided it betters society.” 

“That’s good. I was thinking about doing some research like that, maybe something to do with the affinitum. Are you guys working on anything like that?” she asked.

Solum paused. He picked through some documents scattered on his desk but shrugged. “Nothing I would know about, it seems. There’s more promising points of research, anyway.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Allie continued. “I think there’s untapped potential. Surely you must know  _ something _ , right? After all, you look like quite the scholar. Did you ever consider taking up teaching at one of the universities? I’m sure they’d love to hear about this kind of stuff.”

“You seem awfully committed to this,” he said, his eyes narrowing. He glanced at Antonio, then back to Allie, taking his sweet time to continue with his thought. “Why is that?”

“Oh, no reason. I just don’t think it’s explored enough, is all,” Allie lied.

“I see. Well, I have an appointment in a couple of minutes, so I’ll have Avem escort you out. It was nice meeting you two!” he said, gesturing towards Avem.

Avem walked forward. “I’ll take you back upstairs. Come with me, please.”

Allie and Antonio got up and followed her out, making their way up to the elevator then out into the busy lobby once more. Satisfied with what she got, Allie slipped her earbud out and stuff it into her pocket. 

“I’ll take those badges back,” Avem asked.

Allie and Antonio obliged, handing them over. Allie was particularly happy to be rid of hers; she still despised her photo. 

Before long, they were dumped into the city streets once more. Allie immediately grabbed her phone and began transferring the audio file to Hayley. 

“Alright, explain what just happened in there. What was that thing in your ear?” Antonio asked.

“Oh, you know, just your typical reconnaissance gear.”

“That looks like a Bluetooth earbud.”

“It is.”

“You were recording that whole time?”

Allie nodded.

“Damn, I shouldn’t underestimate you, huh?” Antonio smirked, rubbing his chin. “So what’s the verdict? Luchemita evil? Luchemita benevolent? Help me out here, I kinda got mixed messages.”

Allie didn’t respond. Her attention was too focused on her phone. 

“Allie?” He snapped his fingers in front of her.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, they’re definitely up to something. Hayley’s looking into it now.”

“Friend of yours?”

“Mmhm.”

“Alright then. Sounds like you’ve got this from here, so I’ll go run some errands. See you next week?”

“See you then. Later.”

Antonio waved as he walked away, his presence melting into the sea of people behind him. 

Allie put her phone away and glanced back at the towering monolith of a lab behind her. Whatever was going on, she had to get to the bottom of it. Now that she  _ knew _ they were up to something, she would never be able to resist digging deeper. Whatever it would take.


	7. Undercover, Overburdened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie and Hayley conspire to commit Crimes.

Allie and Hayley sat at the table, helping themselves to some impromptu pizza and onion rings. It was Hayley’s idea to order; she wouldn’t be caught dead making herself something that wasn’t frozen. Despite Allie’s doctoral instincts shrieking at her not to let her best friend make this horrible life choices, she  _ really _ wanted a good slice of pepperoni pizza. 

The table was covered in plates, napkins, and plenty of grease from the pizza and onion rings. Allie sat at one end while Hayley sat on the other, a large bottle of soda resting between them. The poor table cloth stood no chance against the onslaught of grease and carbonated beverages.

“So what’s the plan?” Hayley said between bites, “I mean, the audio recording didn’t tell us too much. They’re still suspicious as anything, but...”

Allie leaned back in her wooden chair, balancing it on its hind legs with her arms folded. “I still think they’re up to something, even if Solum or Avem seemed nice enough or played dumb. There’s definitely something going on, and I really want to know.”

“Yeah, yeah. I can tell you’re stressing out over this.” She leaned in and stared at Allie’s eyes. “You’ve got, like, horrible bags under your eyes. Have you been sleeping?”

Allie paused. “I’ve been trying. I get enough each night, but you know how it is. Work keeps me up.” 

“You’re a student.”

“A student with a job.”

Hayley groaned and took another large bite of her slice. “I hate seeing you like this. I know you want to get answers, but look at you!”

Allie’s reply was interrupted by a long and drawn-out yawn. “If you can somehow tell my brain not to think about everything when I’m in bed trying to sleep, I’d really appreciate that.”

“I mean, if I could make your calming affinity work on yourself, that’d work.”

“You sound like you could use a job at Luchemita, then.” Allie grunted, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table.

“ _ Allie _ .” 

Allie sighed. “Sorry. Maybe you’re right.”

“This is the most stressed I’ve seen you since you first moved here. This isn’t your burden to bear, Allie. I want to help you however I can. I’m sure Antonio does too!” 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you two wrapped up in this.”

Hayley put her pizza down and rested her hand onto Allie’s. “I’d rather get involved than watch you suffer alone. If you keep this up, you’re going to crash and burn.”

“Crash and burn…? I can’t imagine it’d be any worse than the last two patients who burned. One of them  _ died _ . The other  _ wishes _ he had died. I owe it to them to stop this from happening to anyone else.”

Hayley’s shoulders sank, her eyes full of disappointment and sorrow. “Allie, please. We’ll make it right, together. Just tell me what you want to do, and I’ll help you do it.”

“I want the truth,” she said, stifling a tear. Her breath hitched momentarily. “I want to get explicit evidence from Luchemita. Can’t you hack them and swipe their data or something?”

Hayley frowned. “It’s not that easy. When I found that bug in their code, they patched it up real tight. And that was  _ years _ ago. It’s only gotten more secure since then. I could try, but it would take a lot of recon, probing…”

“Then let’s break in.”

“ _ What _ ?!” Hayley retracted her hands. “Do you hear yourself right now?”

“I can hear myself just fine, thank you. I figure if it’s gonna take you so long to do your hacking stuff, I can get in and out of there much faster.” Allie sat up straight and folded her arms over her waist. “Do you think you could, like, hack into their security cameras and guide me? Maybe make me some false documentation so I can swipe into their labs?”

“Allie, this isn’t a hacker movie. That’s not easy to do. It might take even  _ longer _ to do what you said.” 

“Okay, but what about their ID printing tool? It’s a computer, isn’t it? That thing probably doesn’t have the best security in the world. If you gave me a USB drive or something, I could plug it in and you can override it. That would give me the authorization I need to get to the labs,” she explained.

“I mean, that’s not the worst idea you’ve had…”

“And then I can sneak in my earpiece again so you can hear what I hear. I’ll connect it to your phone so you can keep track in real-time. You’d be blind, but not deaf.” 

“That still sounds really risky. This is a large pharmaceutical company, not some drug store on the corner owned by an old, married couple. They must have 24/7 security,” Hayley said.

“Right, but you said it yourself a long time ago: most hacking is social engineering.”

“I said most of hacking is recon, but social engineering is important, too,” Hayley corrected her.

Allie shrugged. “You get what I mean. If I walk and talk like I belong, nobody will be the wiser. They’re a big office, so nobody’s going to look at me too closely.”

“I  _ guess _ ? I’m not super sold on this idea, but at least you’ve thought about it somewhat.”

Allie grabbed the last slice from the box at the center of the table. Grabbing her fork and knife, she began to cut into it to take her first bite. “I can tell you’re intrigued. That ID printing computer must be  _ so  _ out of date. I’m sure you’re just dying to know what kinds of zero-days are on that thing.”

Hayley started to sweat. “Don’t tempt me. I didn’t think you knew what zero-day even meant.” 

“You told me about them years ago when I first started doing the rounds at the hospital. I bet Luchemita is a lot like Astuva Hospital--weak security on internal systems. Doesn’t that sound right to you?”

“Right, but… I mean… As much as I would love to see…”

“Are you drooling?” Allie leaned closer. 

Hayley cupped her hand over her mouth and wiped it, feeling no saliva. “I’m not drooling!”

“You thought you were. It was more like a metaphorical drooling--I can tell you’re just  _ aching _ to break into Luchemita. Again.”

Hayley deflated. “Okay, fine! I yield. You read me like an award-winning novel. I  _ really _ want to go and wreck some shit.” 

“Atta girl.” Allie leaned back, smiling confidently. “What’s the plan of attack, then?”

Hayley finished her slice then cleared her throat. “Well, I want to do some reconnaissance. I need to go in there and figure out what kind of exploit I’ll need to break into that ID machine. Then I’ll do a proof-of-concept, confirm it actually works…”

“Do you really need to go in yourself? I could probably figure it out if you just guide me.”

“It’d be easier that way. Plus, I don’t think I’d look  _ too _ out of place, would I?” Hayley asked.

“Depends if they recognize you. You know, the bug bounty thing.”

“Eh, that was years ago. I doubt most of the people there will even know about it. Besides, I should be in and out pretty quickly,” Hayley said with an unconcerned shrug. 

Allie placed her elbow on the table and rested her forehead against her palm, her fingers digging through her hair. “I could come with you.”

“That won’t be necessary. You need some rest anyway.” 

“I feel just fine, thank you,” Allie glared, but then yawned. 

“Uh huh.”

“I always yawn after I eat!” she protested.

“I don’t recall you doing that, ever.”

Allie threw her head back and groaned. “Okay, okay. You can go investigate the ID machine and I’ll wait for you to devise some kind of auto-hacker tool, right? Then I go in and snoop around, grab whatever I can, and get out. Simple enough.”

“If it’s simple enough, I could just print you a badge while I’m there,” she suggested.

“Oh. Well, that works.” Allie said, pleasantly surprised. 

“What if you need to escape? Maybe your cover gets blown or something?” Hayley asked. “After all, any good hacker would have an escape plan.”

“Uh, hm. I haven’t really thought about that. I figured the social engineering would do most of the work for me.”

“You should really plan for shit to hit the fan, you know. At the very least, I’d recommend something to cover your face and obscure your body shape so it’s harder to identify you. Who knows what kind of facial recognition technology they’ve got lined up in the deeper levels.”

“So I should pack a big coat and a mask?”

“Not… not like that. I mean, a mask  _ would _ help, but the coat would be too obvious. It’s the end of summer, sure, but you can’t just waltz in there with a heavy winter coat.”

“I could pack my plague doctor mask,” Allie said, scratching her chin. 

“No, no, please don’t. I’ll get you a ski mask or something.”

Allie paused, thinking about what they’d just said. All this talk about masks, breaking into a laboratory, falsifying identifying documents, it sounded so…  _ illegal _ . But still, if this was necessary to seek out the truth, then so be it. A couple of felonies never hurt anyone, right? 

“...In any case, I’ll do my solo recon tomorrow night. I want to go when there’s fewer people so I can make sure nobody walks up to the ID machine. If I can, I’ll make you a fake ID right then and there. If not, I’ll make a tool that’ll do it for you when you infiltrate later this week. I’ll guide you via earpiece,” Hayley explained. 

“Sounds good. Are there any floor plans or anything we can use?” she asked.

“Good question. I’ll do some digging online. If I can’t find anything on there, I’ll try and swipe some while I’m there.” 

Allie yawned again as she rubbed her eyes. “What if you don’t find them?”

“Guess you’d be flying blind, then. You think you can handle that?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Hayley got up and grabbed her empty paper plate, then Allie’s, and threw them into the trash. She placed the leftovers into the fridge and closed the door with a sigh. “It just hit me how crazy this is.”

“It’s incredibly crazy. You can still back out of this if you’re not up to the task,” Allie offered.

“After all the stuff you said trying to win me over on this? How could I refuse?” Hayley asked.

“Well, I mean, you don’t need to go in there. I can still do all of it on my own.”

“We both know it’ll be a lot easier if I go do my thing before you do yours.”

Allie relented. “Okay. Just be careful.”

Hayley grabbed a bag of chips and dropped it onto the table. “Hackers always have an escape plan. I’m not going anywhere I don’t want to.”

“I trust you, Hay-hay.”

Hayley blushed as she popped the bag of chips open. “You haven’t called me that in  _ years _ . Are you worried about me, Al?”

“All I’m worried about is what we’re gonna do with Antonio in all of this,” Allie said.

“Oh, shit.” Hayley spoke between loud crunches. “Do you think he’ll want to get involved? He went with you before. Maybe it’ll help to have a right-hand man.”

Allie almost winced at the thought. “I don’t know… I don’t think he’s very, er, subtle? To put it nicely.”

“He seemed to do just fine before. I say at least fill him in on what’s going on. Have him close by so if stuff goes south, he can help you,” Hayley suggested.

“Huh. Not a bad idea.”

“I’m full of good ideas, sometimes.”

“I’ll message him tomorrow morning and give him the details. I’ll keep you posted.”

Hayley crunched her chips loudly. Instead of speaking, she just gave Allie a lazy thumbs-up and continued gorging herself. 

Allie took the opportunity to excuse herself and go to the restroom. She could feel the pizza grease staining her hands--a sensation she always hated. After a quick rinse of her hands and an even quicker splash of water on her face, she felt instantly refreshed. The cold water drained through her fingers; some of it clung to her furry palms. She could feel her fingers shiver gently in turn. 

Staring into the mirror, Allie tidied up any loose fur strands or crumb crusts that got stuck to her. Once she was satisfied with her all natural look, she stepped out of the bathroom and made her way back to Hayley’s bedroom. She plopped down on the bed as fast as she could, curling her tail up between her legs and into her stomach. 

She cuddled her tail for warmth as she lay in the bed’s cozy embrace. On a normal day, she likely would’ve just fallen asleep right then and there. Instead, as she closed her eyes, she began to worry once more. As soon as she stopped focusing on a task, whether it’s socializing or working, her anxieties crept back into her mind. She wished she could just fall asleep while working. 

This whole plan to break into Luchemita’s labs was incredibly risky, but it was their best shot at learning the truth. Still, she had to know. She felt an unusually strong urge to find out anything she could by whatever means possible. Perhaps she felt spurred by her worries, motivated by her anxieties. Or perhaps she felt she had friends watching out for her. No matter what happened next, Allie felt better knowing someone would be keeping an eye out.


	8. Burning the Midnight Oil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie and Hayley enact their plan.

Allie sprawled out in Hayley’s bed, her nose buried in the pillow. She had been messaging Antonio for a while, working up the courage to tell him about hers and Hayley’s plan to infiltrate Luchemita. It sounded ridiculous, their whole plan, but he should know. He offered to help, so why not let him?

[17:10] **AlleyAlly** : Hey, do you have any plans tonight? 

[17:10] **WhiteMage97** : i dont! r u asking me on a date ;)? 

[17:10] **AlleyAlly** : Well, in a sense. 

[17:10] **AlleyAlly** : Do you remember Hayley? My Creaden-Simenti friend? The really good network engineer/hacker? 

[17:11] **WhiteMage97** : kinda sorta. Is this a double date? 

[17:11] **AlleyAlly** : Eh, not like that. She’s going to to Luchemita’s labs tonight and work out how their ID printing machine works. 

[17:11] **WhiteMage97** : huh

[17:11] **WhiteMage97** : why? 

[17:11] **AlleyAlly** : You saw Luchemita for yourself. They HAVE to be hiding something deeper in those labs. Hayley’s gonna print me a fake ID so I can get in deeper. 

[17:11] **WhiteMage97** : hayley’s going to do this… tonight? 

[17:11] **AlleyAlly** : Yeah. I wanted to let you know in case anything went wrong. She’s going to be there at about 20:00. 

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : Antonio? 

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : ok got it 

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : sorry got distracted 

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : No problem. Think you can just kinda hang around and be ready in case we need you? I’ll be around, too. 

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : yeah thats fine ill be ready for whatever 

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : I think the worst that’ll happen is she gets a side-eye and maybe kicked out, but you never know. 

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : Better safe than sorry. 

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : i hear u

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : u sound like my mom no offense

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : I’ll take that as a compliment. She sounds like a lovely and responsible woman. 

[17:12] **WhiteMage97** : shes a bit stuffy but w/e this isnt therapy w/ ante and allie now is it 

[17:12] **AlleyAlly** : Hahah, good point. 

[17:13] **AlleyAlly** : But tell me, Ante. How does that make you feel? 

[17:13] **WhiteMage97** : rotfflmgdao 

[17:13] **AlleyAlly** : I’m not deciphering what that means.

[17:13] **WhiteMage97** : rolling on the fuckin floor laughing my gods damn ass off 

[17:13] **AlleyAlly** : Ah, OK. 

[17:13] **WhiteMage97** : anyway ill see u later allie i gotta run some errands but ill be around 

[17:13] **AlleyAlly** : Cool. Thank you, Ante.

Allie locked her phone and cast it aside onto the nightstand. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. The fan above her whirred quietly and gently, almost like a lullaby. If only sleep came to her so easily, she thought. She’d barely slept at all last night, and she probably wouldn’t get any tonight, either. 

But hopefully, this would all be worth it. If she could learn more about pyromas, she could finally get some rest. She couldn’t keep going like this. 

Letting out a long and drawn out yawn, Allie flopped onto her side and checked the time on her phone. Hayley wasn’t due to begin until a few hours from now.

Allie opened the audio recording app and refreshed it. Hayley wouldn’t have recorded anything yet,  _ but what if she did _ ? These thoughts plagued her mind incessantly. Allie closed her eyes and let out a quiet sigh. 

*************************************************************************************************************

At 20:00 sharp, Hayley entered Luchemita’s front doors. The pristine lobby was rather empty, which was convenient for her. There were two others in the lobby aside from herself. On the other end of the room was a janitor sweeping the floors passionately. Hayley wondered if he just really loved his job or if it was his headphones that invigorated him. 

There was a secretary at the desk towards the end of the lobby who looked to be more occupied by her phone than her job. She appeared to be a young Simenti woman with a small frame and a fancy blouse. To put it nicely, Hayley wouldn’t feel too intimidated by someone that was somehow shorter than she was. 

To Hayley’s right was a computer terminal mounted onto a lectern. Taking a quick glance from the side, Hayley could see a small printer mounted to the underside. 

When the secretary wasn’t looking, which was frequently, Hayley slipped behind the monitor and began clacking away at the keyboard. She couldn’t help but stare in awe at the operating system. It was outdated in just the right ways! 

“Let’s see… WandOS 5.5… Oof, that one hurts.” She muttered as she grabbed her phone, running a quick search in her exploits database for known vulnerabilities. To her complete lack of surprise, there was an incredibly useful bug that allowed for easy privilege escalation. 

Hayley’s ears perked and twitched with glee as she typed away furiously. It was the most movie-level hacking she had ever done, and she felt  _ exhilarated _ . She could feel her affinity taking over, her electronic interfacing affinity. It let her  _ breathe _ the binary digits. She effectively became an extension of the computer as she hacked away. Its logic and its processing power became hers.

With this interfacing, she could navigate by feel alone. To her, file paths and folder structures were like roads on a map. She sat at the root of the tree that spanned in all directions above her, able to traverse every branch at once. If one were to ask Hayley, she would describe it as  _ becoming _ the computer, however briefly.

All she had to do now was send one little buffer overflow…

“Aaaaaand done.” She looked from side to side, once towards the janitor and once towards the secretary. “I’m in,” she muttered.

A command prompt appeared on her screen. The text asked her to select the type of badge she’d like to make and to submit a photograph through the attached webcam. Hayley grabbed her phone and opened up a picture of Allie before jamming it into the webcam’s lens. After snapping the photo, she realized she could make one for herself as well. 

But first, Allie’s card. Hayley granted Allie’s card access to all of the affinity laboratories, which ranged from the bottom first floor all the way to the bottom tenth floor. Just how far down did these labs go? 

Hayley searched for floor plans. The best she could come up with was a list of all the ID cards and what they had access to. From what she could tell, Luchemita had twenty floors above ground and ten below. The labs were primarily underground while the offices and all other affairs occurred on the upper levels. 

“Excuse me?” A feminine voice called out. 

Hayley cursed under her breath and hit the print button as quick as she could. She pocketed Allie’s ID and stepped aside casually from the computer. “Who, me?” she said innocently.

“Did you need help? I saw your ears twisting and perking up from behind that podium,” the secretary asked.

“Oh, sorry. I just dropped my, er…” Hayley’s mind locked up, unable to think of a plausible excuse. “Phone!” she blurted out. “Yeah! I’m just a butterfingers, hahah…”

The secretary nodded solemnly. “Big mood, sister. Big mood.”

“Well, I think I’ll just be on my way,” Hayley announced, spinning around and turning towards the door. However, she ran into a cat man with piercing, golden eyes in a scientist coat. 

“Hello there. My name is Solum.” he said with a quick bow. “I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about your affinity.”

Hayley slid her hands into her pockets and shifted about. “Oh, sorry, I was just on my way out. I have school in the morning and I need to study. Big test tomorrow, you see--”

Solum stepped in front of Hayley, blocking her only exit. “You needn’t worry about that. I can put in a good word with your professor if this takes long.”

“I’m... I'm afraid I’ll have to decline. Thank you, though.” Hayley attempted to sidestep Solum, but he matched her movements exactly.

“And  _ I’m _ afraid I’ll have to insist. For a Creaden-Simenti hybrid to just waltz into our labs with such a  _ powerful _ affinity… This is an opportunity I can’t afford to pass up. You could be the breakthrough we’ve been looking for.” 

“Breakthrough…?” Hayley felt someone grab her by the arm from behind. Furious, she spun around and grabbed at her wrist, trying to free herself. She looked up and saw a security guard towering over her. He was a large brown bear wearing all black, contrasting heavily with the pure white lobby. “Let go of me!” 

Solum shook his head and circled around to face Hayley once more. “Breaking into secure systems is a crime, don’t you know? We’re just exercising our rights as a business to protect ourselves.”

Hayley flailed about wildly and kicked the guard, but he barely reacted. He must have been twice her weight if not twice her height, too. Her protests only made him tighten his grip around her arm.

“Where we goin’?” The bear asked.

“An excellent question. Bring her to the affinitum testing labs. I’ll be down there shortly--I just need to audit our ID terminal first.” Solum answered.

“Got it, boss.”

Hayley squirmed more. She rested her foot against the bear’s stomach and attempted to pry herself free to no avail. “Fucking let me go! I have rights!” 

In her outrage, Hayley slipped Allie’s ID card out from her sleeve and threw it aside. The card zipped through the air and landed in a trash can near the door. Thankfully, neither Solum nor the bear seemed to pick up on her little ruse.

The bear dragged Hayley to the elevator wordlessly. Why did these brats always have to struggle? It was always the short ones that complained the most. 

Hayley was shoved into the elevator. Her back hit the wall hard, causing her to lose her balance and slip. Her head clanged against the metal wall, causing a loud reverberation in her ears. 

The bear punched in the floor and closed the doors, folding his arms and sighed quietly. Together, they began their descent into the labs. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Allie opened her eyes. She glanced at her phone, feeling her heart sink when she read the time. 

19:56. 

She scrambled out of bed and grabbed her boots and slipped them on as fast as she could. Thoughts of impending doom raced through her mind and were only satisfied when she opened the audio recording app on her phone. 

She could hear Hayley’s voice humming; most likely she was walking down the street. The sound of a door sliding open and calming lobby music played in the background. Allie breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she wasn’t too late. 

She opened her messaging app and looked for Antonio, but noticed he was offline. 

[19:57] **AlleyAlly** : Antonio, you ready? Hayley’s already in.

[19:59] **AlleyAlly** : Antonio?

[19:59] **AlleyAlly** : Come on...

Allie sighed. Why would she expect anything from him? She decided to get dressed properly in the meantime, just in case. She got out of bed and stretched her arms, letting out a yawn. A black hoodie, black jeans, and a ski mask enveloped the chair in the corner. On the table to the side was Allie’s old plague doctor mask from an old costume she had when she was young. 

Allie dressed herself up in her disguise before putting the plague doctor mask on. It had a relatively short beak and was as black as night, but she thought it looked intimidating. Unable to resist, she put on the mask. The beak was elongated enough to accommodate for her Creaden-length snout. Surprisingly, it still fit her like a glove. 

Checking her phone, Allie listened in on Hayley’s audio. She could hear her talking to someone in the distance, but it was hard to make out the words. 

“Come on, Hayley… You got this,” she said to herself. Fearing for the worst, Allie made her way out of the apartment and down the elevator to the ground floor. She continued listening the entire time, hearing a man’s voice. It sounded familiar, but…

“Is that Solum?” she asked herself, already knowing the answer.

Allie broke out into a full sprint as soon as the doors opened. She raced down the hall and out the lobby’s door and into the street, shoving aside passersby if she had to.

_ “Breakthrough…? Let go of me!”  _

_ “Breaking into secure systems is a crime, don’t you know? We’re just exercising our rights as a business to protect ourselves.” _

_ “Where we goin’?” _

_ “An excellent question. Bring her to the affinitum testing labs. I’ll be down there shortly--I just need to audit our ID terminal first.” _

Allie cursed under her breath. With Hayley’s cover blown and Antonio nowhere to be found, it was up to her to rescue her best friend. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Hayley sat on the elevator’s floor in silent fury. How could she let herself get caught so easily? Such a rookie mistake. Before she could beat herself up over it, she remembered she was broadcasting everything she heard to Allie. 

“So, what floor are these labs on?” she asked the bear guard.

“What do you care?”

“Oh, I don’t. I just wanted to know if you can count that high, is all. You don’t exactly look like you graduated top of your class, if at all.”

The bear huffed. “Fifth floor.”

“...Below ground? We’re going down, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“Alright, then. Bottom fifth floor it is,” she said louder than her normal speaking voice. 

“Any other stupid questions?” the bear asked.

“Well, since you’re asking, I _ do _ have one more: what room are we going to?”

The bear huffed. “Got wax in your ears or somethin’? Affinitum labs.” 

The elevator doors opened out to a dimly lit hallway. Before Hayley could get a look at the halls, the bear grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out. Compared to the lobby, this hallway was much less welcoming; the walls and floors were hardly as pristine, the lights had been dimmed, and unlike the upper levels, there were no chairs, no benches, nothing. The halls were completely barren. 

The bear kicked open a door at the end of the hall and dragged Hayley in. Lifting her up, he dumped her out onto a long metal table with restraints on both ends. It resembled a historical torture device more than it did an operating table. Blood stained one end of the metallic tabletop a blackened crimson. As bad as it looked, it smelled even worse. Hayley would’ve described it as ‘metallic piss.’

“I suppose now would be a bad time to mention I left something in the garbage at the lobby?” Hayley nearly shouted, almost pleading for Allie’s intervention.

“Oh, well. It’ll get incinerated if you wait too long.” The bear chuckled, grabbing the restraints at the top of the table and fastening them around Allie’s wrists.

Hayley’s heart sank.  _ When is Allie coming? _

*************************************************************************************************************

Allie reached Luchemita’s labs as quickly as she could. The time on her phone read 20:20, but she had wished it didn’t. She listened closely to Hayley’s recording and felt thankful that they hadn’t discovered her earpiece. 

_ “I suppose... to mention I left something in the garbage… lobby?” _

The sound began to cut out, much to her dismay. Allie peeked through the window and saw the lobby was empty. She darted inside, poured through the garbage can until she found the ID Hayley had left, then bailed. 

With ID card in hand, Allie dashed to the side of the building in search of an alternative entrance. Thankfully, she came across a door towards the very back of the labs--perhaps an employee entrance. There had been a black box mounted onto the wall next to the door handle with a steady red light. Allie waved the card and watched the light turn green, followed by a loud click. Allie grabbed the door handle and slipped inside.

The hallway at this end of the lab was quiet, dim, eerie. Not a soul could be found, which comforted Allie. To her right, she saw an elevator, which gave her great relief. She entered and pressed the button for the bottom fifth floor and waited.

*************************************************************************************************************

Hayley tugged at the restraints on her wrists and ankles but to no avail. She was completely stuck to the bloodstained operating table. The room around her was brightly lit and sparsely furnished; it resembled that of a makeshift operating theater. There were various tools and appliances mounted onto the walls of all shapes and sizes: scalpels, syringes, buzz saws…

Sweating, Hayley glanced at the bear. “Hey, you gotta let me out of here. This isn’t right. If you had an ounce of self-awareness, you’d see that this is all sorts of fucked up. Please let me go.”

The bear shrugged and exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Just as he left, the room seemed to fall into a haze. Was she dizzy? Nervous? Both?

“Allie, Antonio, someone… Get me the fuck out of here!” 

The door swung open. Hayley turned her head and saw Solum in the doorway. She could feel her chest growing heavy just by looking at him.

“Good evening. I know you must be frightened,” Solum said as he closed the door behind himself. “But I can assure you that what we’re about to do today will change the world for the better. We'll do something the gods could never-- _would_ never.” 

The words  _ change the world _ made her want to vomit. “You really think that?”

Solum walked to the other end of the room and began to wash his hands in the sink before slipping on surgical gloves. “In a sense, yes. You see, affinities are dying. They’re being diluted over time, year after year, generation after generation. I’m a historian at heart, and that means preservation at all costs.”

“I don’t…”

“But when I started working at Luchemita,” he said, turning to face Hayley, “I realized there was so much more we could do. So much we  _ needed _ to do. Affinities are limited to just the Creaden and Simenti species. How unfair is that?”

“More or less unfair than being kidnapped and restrained?”

Solum continued, ignoring her. “The gods did their best, I'm sure, but there's so much more we can do. They left us the pieces to the puzzle, all we need to do is assemble them. But to do that, I need your help.”

Hayley turned her head away from him in disgust.

“My dear,” he grabbed her chin, making her look him in the eye, “you’re the missing piece. You are a Creaden-Simenti hybrid. Not only do you have the makeup for all potential affinities, you also have the most potent one I've come across in ages. You," he grinned widely. "You’re my golden star--my saving grace.”

“If your goal is so noble, then why kidnap me like this? Why put all those people you experimented on through such torture?” Hayley spat on his face. “You’re disgusting.”

Solum paused and wiped the spit off his face. “There is no easy way to do this, no  _ kind _ way. I do not wish harm upon you, but I must see this done.”

“There has to be another way. You can’t just… This isn’t…” Hayley was at a loss for words. What  _ could _ she say to convince him that this was wrong?

“I’ve already made up my mind. If there were any other way, I would have taken it. You have my word on that. I never wanted to experiment on living subjects like this, but needs must,” he explained.

Hayley felt her chest tighten. “You’re going to give me a pyroma, aren’t you?”

“A pyroma? Oh, you mean that burning mass. You know, I heard from on high that someone coined that term. Somehow it made its way to me and I have to say, it’s not entirely inaccurate. But to answer your question: hopefully not. If it happens, though… Don’t be surprised.”

The realization hit Hayley. The thought of losing her affinity made her feel so… weak. So vulnerable. So  _ wrong _ . 

“Now, let’s begin.” Solum grabbed a syringe and filled it with an unknown liquid. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt. This is to help you sleep. Think of it as anesthesia.”

*************************************************************************************************************

The elevator doors opened and Allie burst out. The hallway sprawled out seemingly endlessly in both directions. Of course there were no signs on the wall to point her in the right direction, so she had to guess. She banked to the left and glanced at the plaque on each door. 

_ “Good evening. I know you must be frightened, but I can assure you that what we’re about to do today will revolutionize the world.”  _

_ “This is revolutionary to you?” _

Allie could still hear Hayley’s earpiece. She tried to listen out for the source, knowing that she was somewhere on this floor. As she began to reach the end of the hall, the door to the right swung open. 

A Simenti man stepped out, turning towards Allie. He stopped short in surprise at the hooded and masked figure before him. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”

Allie froze. She recognized the man before her. It was Doctor Tract--the Simenti anatomy specialist at Astuva Hospital.


	9. Freezerburn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie has a chance encounter.

“Are you gonna answer my question or do I have to sic security on your masked ass?” Tract said with a furrowed brow and clenched fists. 

Allie was speechless. Why was  _ he _ here? What could she even say? 

“Well?” he asked again. 

“I’m not here for you,” she answered with a deeper voice than usual. “I’m here to see Solum.”

“Yeah, sure.” Tract reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I’m calling security.”

Allie’s attention was drawn to the phone. As much as she wanted to avoid a confrontation, she absolutely couldn’t risk drawing more attention to herself and Hayley. “Wait!” she cried.

Tract paused before slowly lowering his phone. “Talk.”

“I hear you and Solum looking for powerful affinities, correct?” she asked, still deepening her voice. “You wouldn’t want to risk losing this chance, do you?”

Tract pocketed his phone. “You have my attention. How strong are we talking?”

“Stronger than anyone you’ve experimented on so far.” Allie approached Tract slowly, cautiously, in an attempt to get him within her calming aura. 

Tract backed away instinctively. “Oh, really? Tell me more, then. What can you do?” 

Allie continued her slow approach. “I need to be relatively close for it to activate properly.”

“Doesn’t sound very powerful to me, then.” Tract folded his arms and huffed.

Allie’s palms grew sweaty. The  _ last _ thing she wanted was to get on Tract’s bad side, especially now. She had never properly been in a fight before and imagined she would lose decisively to someone who both had a height  _ and _ weight advantage over her. 

“So what’s it do? Boil me alive? Singe my eyebrows? Turn blood into wine? Come on, speak up!” Tract demanded.

“It’s…” Allie wondered if Tract ever knew about her calming aura. They had never worked closely, so it’s possible he never noticed. But then again, rumors spread quickly in hospitals, especially among staff. “I can calm anyone down, no matter how stressed they are.” Allie gambled on his inattentiveness to his colleagues.

“Hmm.” Tract scratched his chin, glaring at her. “I feel a  _ little _ better. However, this affinity doesn’t  _ feel _ powerful enough for what we need.”

Allie knew she would never win in a fair fight against Tract. However, what if she fought  _ un _ fairly? “It gets better the closer I get to you,” she insisted, taking small steps towards him.

“Then come as close as you’d like,” he answered, opening his arms out as if to embrace her.

A chill ran down Allie’s spine. His welcoming, devil-may-care stance made her feel as though she played right into his hands. But still, he was a witness, and she needed to find Hayley as quickly as possible. If he wouldn’t let her go…

Allie’s steps were short, arrhythmic. She felt that her gait was impeded by her rapidly beating heart, as if it were ricocheting back and forth in her chest. However bad she felt, it must have been only half of what the pyroma victims felt. She reached out her hand gently towards Tract, palm upright. 

Slowly, almost agonizingly so, Tract extended his hand outward. His fingertips gently graced Allie’s palm, feeling cool to the touch. He could feel Allie’s soft and warm fur digging between his fingers, rough yet soft. 

Allie gazed into Tract’s focused eyes through her mask. She could tell he was growing calmer: his shoulders dropped, his breath slowed, and his stance relaxed. For a moment, she rejoiced in her plan working. Then, she closed her hand gently around his, applying a soft pressure all around. “How do you feel?” she asked with a coarse yet quiet voice. 

“Better than any therapy I’ve ever been to.” 

“Good.” Allie pulled Tract forward suddenly, throwing him off balance. She sucker punched him in the jaw as hard as she could. Before he had a chance to react, she kicked him in the leg and watched his body crumple to the floor. His muscles must have been relaxed far more than she had anticipated, because he collapsed like a drunkard. 

“You…” Tract began fumbling to his feet. “Fucking....” He got onto his knees and reached out towards her leg. 

Allie sidestepped and sprinted down the hallway. She couldn’t believe that  _ worked _ . As she ran, she read all of the plaques on the doors, but none of them seemed quite what she was looking for. Some appeared to be lounges or conference rooms, other were offices for employees. 

She could hear footsteps not far behind her, interrupting her train of thought. Tract must have scrambled to his feet and made chase. 

As she rapidly approached the end of the hallway, Allie knew she had to pick a door. She stopped short and opened the door to her right, revealing a janitor’s closet. “Dammit!” she muttered, before realizing her options. She grabbed the mop that leaned against the door and held it outward, aiming it at Tract. “Stay back!” she warned, armed and dangerous.

Tract stopped before the mighty mop, his shoes squealing against the floor. He grabbed the mop and yanked it out of Allie’s hand like a one-sided tug-of-war game. 

Allie gulped and turned tail, fleeing as fast as she could. Her best hope was the door at the end of the hallway. However, before she could make any progress, she felt Tract’s hand wrap around her left forearm. His grip was tight and commanding, locking her in place and anchoring her to his side. 

Tract tightened his grip. “Thought you were clever, didn’t you? Not so much now that you’re stuck, huh?” 

Allie could feel a chill on her left forearm, even through her sleeve. The cold grew more and more, evolving from a slight chill to a harsh bite. She turned and grabbed at her arm, attempting to pry it out of his grasp.

“Not so fast,” he said, clenching his fist around her arm. “You swung first.”

Her sleeve began to freeze solid, turning into a black icicle. Tract’s grip strength shattered what was once her sleeve and exposed her furry arm beneath. Now with nothing to shield herself from the cold, Allie cried out in pain, feeling the extreme cold burning through her fur.

Individual strands of fur began to freeze and crack, falling to the floor like snowflakes. Her fur gave way to flesh, leaving a large bald spot on her arm. Allie could feel the full strength of Tract’s affinity, and it felt as though she had stuck her arm into a vat of liquid nitrogen. 

“Let… go of me…!” Allie said, still trying to pry herself off. Her teeth clattered as she spoke, the cold working its way up and down her arm. Pinkish red tendrils of freezing flesh stretched across her arm slowly but surely.

“Not a chance. You lied to me, you broke in here, and you want to stop Solum. I…  _ we _ won’t have that. Not when we’re so close to our breakthrough.” Tract tightened his grip.

“You ruined so many lives. You’re…” Allie’s entire body trembled, making it hard to speak. 

“All for the greater good. You’re in the way.” Tract glanced down and saw blisters forming between the gaps of his fingers.

The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in. Her flesh would start to necrotize if she didn’t stop him somehow. She had already gone through several of the stages of frostbite by this point. Allie’s words grew heavier in her throat. “Hayley… please…” Her words began to slur together. 

She kicked Tract in the crotch in a desperate ploy to break free. Her boots dug into his slacks, her kicks strengthened by adrenaline. This was her last ditch effort to break free. She kicked him again, and again, and again, as many times as her body would let her. She wouldn’t--no,  _ couldn’t _ \--stop until she was free.

Tract doubled over on the ground. Squeals escaped his throat as his grip loosened just enough for Allie to break free from her glacial torture. She staggered back, taking deep breaths despite not being winded. It was her body’s natural reaction to suffering horrific frostbite and kicking a guy in the crotch. 

Tract whined some more, his hands crossed over his body to cover his crotch from further assault. His body rocked from side to side like a newborn in a cradle; if he were sucking his thumb, he’d be the spitting image of a crying baby. At least, that was what Allie thought. A big man-child crying over a little pain. 

His pain couldn’t compare to  _ her _ pain. She doubled over on the ground much like he did, clasping and clawing at her arm wildly. The pain rushed back to her all at once as the adrenaline wore off, giving way to a pain worse than she had ever felt. 

Her fur was as brittle as a thin icicle dangling from a rooftop. Her skin looked and felt more like obsidian, more than she had thought was possible. Red and pink pustules formed underneath the blackened layer of skin, swelling and burning her under layers of frosted-over black. The sensation of burning boils and freezing fingers were, needless to say, completely at odds with each other. But together, they coalesced into a monolith of suffering. 

Her forearm felt as though it could shatter at any moment, and she wished that it would if it meant the pain would stop. If  _ anything _ could make it stop… The thought began to slip out of her mind. What was she thinking about, again? The world around her began to blur at the edges as her eyes unfocused. Her pupils swole to consume her entire iris as the light began to fade from her sight. Her eyes were open, but she couldn’t see a damned thing. 

Before she knew it, Allie blacked out. Whether it was from the pain, the habitual lack of sleep, or a combination therein was impossible to determine. However, what  _ was _ possible to determine was Tract’s immediate scurry away from her, despite him having the advantage. He hobbled to his feet, still clutching himself with one hand, as he limped away pathetically. 

“Fucking… unbelievable. I’m getting security. I should’ve-- _ fuck!! _ ” He grunted, still reeling from the pain. “I should’ve done that… first...”

*************************************************************************************************************

A hooded figure approached Allie’s unconscious body after an indeterminate amount of time. They stared downward at the equally-hooded Creaden, admiring her attempt at disguise. It was almost flattering. It would have been, had Allie known that they existed. 

The plague doctor mask, the black hoodie and pants--it felt almost derivative, really. The hooded figure’s outfit was not far off: a long and flowing gray hood, black fox mask with bright crimson eyes, and wrappings around their wrists and ankles. Allie’s disguise looked more like a poor cosplay than anything else.

The hooded figure stopped in front of her before kneeling down. They could poke fun at how fashion sense absolutely does  _ not _ run in her family later. There were more urgent matters to attend to. Unraveling the gauze around their wrist, they wrapped it tightly around Allie’s exposed flesh, if only to soak up the bleeding pustules.

“You Inocencios are all the same,” they muttered under their breath. They picked up Allie and threw her over their shoulder, much like a soldier would carry their wounded brethren. “Easy does it. Come on.”

The figure, comfortably keeping Allie over their shoulder, approached the elevator. With a quiet ding, they entered and punched in the ground floor. As the doors closed, they began to think about how ambitious she must have been. After all, who attempts an unarmed infiltration like this? Amateurs, of course, but courageous amateurs. 

There was something admirable about bravery to the point of stupidity. After all, who in the right mind would do something so risky without even a knife for protection? The more they thought, the more the figure realized that Allie wouldn’t be caught dead with a weapon of any sort. She was supposed to be a  _ doctor _ , not a  _ soldier _ . 

The elevator door dinged and opened once more. The figure carried Allie out and down the hallway, approaching the door. With no hesitation, they kicked it open hard, watching it swing and hit the wall outside. The cool, summer’s evening air probably stung Allie’s forearm, but there wasn’t much they could do to help. 

The figure dashed out of the building and out into the street quickly and into a blur of gray and black. They were impressively fast, despite lugging a fully grown woman over their shoulder. They kept up a sprinting pace despite adding the extra weight.

They knew Allie would be fine. After all, modern medicine has come so far compared to… long ago. Even the worst case scenario for Allie would be leagues better than the best case scenario of yesteryear. But that did not mean there was any time to waste. The clock was ticking, so to speak.

The figure weaved in and out of sporadic crowds of passersby on the street. They darted between city roads, narrowly dodging traffic each time. They were confident in their ability to do so, especially if it meant reaching the nearest hospital faster. And of all the hospitals in the city, only one came to the figure’s mind.

Astuva Hospital was creeping in from the distance, growing from just a pale dot to a beacon of hope and rejuvenation. They began to feel Allie stir over their shoulder, almost as if roused awake by the hospital itself.  _ Damn _ , the figure thought,  _ modern medicine is amazing _ . 

The hospital’s front entrance drew nearer. The sprawling megacorp of medicine lay outstretched before them, as if with welcoming arms. Many passersby gathered out front, some just visiting, others departing, but all of them were in the way. 

The figure shoved whoever dared to stand in the straight line between themself and the front door. Time was of the essence. Besides, if they had gotten hurt, they were already at the hospital. They’d be fine, probably.

The automatic doors whirred to life as they opened wide, a warm gust of air blowing from within. The figure stomped forward, quickly locating the receptionist’s desk towards the back of the lobby. 

Still carrying Allie around their shoulder, the figure drew nearer to the desk. The receptionist gawked in confused wonder, either because they were masked and wearing a gray cloak or because they were carrying an unconscious adult over their shoulder. Most likely both, the figure thought. 

They lay Allie flat on the desk, stroking her forehead gently as their piercing crimson eyes glare at the receptionist. “She needs attention immediately.”

“I don’t… Are you her family? Or…” The receptionist, a young Creaden woman, looks down and recognizes Allie. “Oh, gods. Allie? What happened?” 

“She’s hurt,” the figure answered in the most manner-of-fact voice possible. “Severe frostbite on her left forearm.” 

The receptionist ignored them, instead opting to grab at the gauze around her wrist. As she unpeeled it, she unveiled the smell of rotting, necrotic flesh. 

The figure shook their head, wondering what the receptionist was expecting. “Call your best doctors at once.”

“R-right,” The receptionist fumbled her words much like she fumbled with the phone. “Doctor Yuvo, you need to come to the lobby. Bring Nox with you.” She paused. “It’s Allie--she’s hurt. Just… come here.” 

The figure folded their arms and waited impatiently. They refused to leave until they could see Allie being taken care of. A couple of patients passed by the masked and hooded weirdo standing in the lobby, but they didn’t care. 

They had a duty to uphold.

*************************************************************************************************************

Doctor Yuvo sprinted down the hallway--shockingly fast for a middle aged Simenti man. As he approached the desk, he saw Allie supine in front of the receptionist. When he saw her, his heart nearly turned to stone. “Allie my dear, what  _ happened _ to you?” 

Doctor Nox, an experienced and elder brown deer man, was not far behind Yuvo. He rushed onto the scene with a squad of nurses, one of whom pushed a stretcher down the hall. 

Yuvo leaned over Allie and examined her forearm. Her flesh was, indeed, necrotizing. Alarmingly so, in fact. He could almost see the black tendrils of rotting flesh spread up and down her arm. At this rate… No, he refused to think about it. This was no time to assume the worst. 

“Take her to the theater. We’ll need to perform emergency frostbite surgery. Nox, can you weigh Allie and have your nurses change her into a robe? I’ll scrub up and meet you in the theater at once.”

“Right away,” Nox saluted, almost like a soldier would salute their general. 

Nox turned around and saw the nurses were already strapping Allie in. He grabbed the head of the stretcher and began to walk it down the hall, disappearing into the crowd. 

Yuvo sighed as he began his walk to the nearest washroom.  _ Oh, Allie _ , he thought.  _ Why did this have to happen to you _ ? On one hand, he was relieved he could be here to help. On the other, was he qualified to help her? Was he good enough? 

“I  _ have _ to do this. For Allie,” he said, trying to psych himself up. Speaking frankly, he  _ always _ felt this nervous before any surgery. Not that he would ever tell this to her, of course.

A flash of gray disappeared out of the corner of Yuvo’s eye. When he turned towards the door, nobody was standing there. He thought it strange, but shrugged it off. His mind tended to wander when he got stressed, so it wasn’t impossible his mind was just playing tricks on him.

Yuvo kicked the washroom’s door in and began his scrubbing procedure. His own advice rung in his ears:  _ don’t be quick, be thorough _ . Following his own wisdom, he scrubbed up properly. As much as he wanted to rush, the last thing he’d want on his conscience is someone getting infected because of him. 

Once he finished, he entered the operating theater. Allie lay on the stretcher, already changed into her medical robe. An IV drip attached to the inside of her elbow slowly administered anesthesia, ensuring she would at least have a comfortable surgery. 

The rotting and blackened arm lay flat on the operating table. The smell was horrendous, as Yuvo had expected. Despite spraying peppermint oil on the inside of his mask, it could only do so much. 

“Yuvo, if I may…” Nox spoke up, his words weak and quiet.

“Speak up, Nox. If you have any concerns, now’s the time,” Yuvo said, faking confidence as usual.

“I know I’m just an anesthesiologist, but... “

“But?”

“I don’t think she’s going to leave with both arms.”


	10. All-Too-Familiar Ceiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie "recovers."

Allie stirred in her hospital bed. She was awake, even though her eyes were closed tightly. Her memories were scattered in a dense fog, so she imagined she had just woken from a rather peaceful sleep. After all, she  _ did _ feel well rested, something that she desperately needed. But… why  _ wouldn’t _ she be sleeping well? 

Was work keeping her busy? Did she recently flunk out of a class, despite having a respectable 3.5 GPA? Relationship troubles? No, none of these sounded right. What else could have been stressing her out so much? 

Wait, was it  _ stress _ keeping her awake? No, it couldn’t have been. She felt fine right now.

The sound of rhythmic beeping crept into her ears, her mind finally processing her auditory surroundings. She swore she could hear… a vitals monitor?  _ Strange _ , she thought. Then again, she’d heard noises that, upon opening her eyes, she’d realized were never there at all. 

Allie’s eyes fluttered open, like a butterfly stretching its wings as it hatched from its cocoon. A piercing white light filled her unfocused eyes, causing her to wince. As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was staring at a tiled white ceiling. She couldn’t have been at home--if she were, she’d be staring at her ceiling fan right now. 

Allie felt too weak to move much of her body. Just moving her eyes felt like a herculean effort on its own. More of the room around her came into focus: a blue curtain attached to the ceiling wrapped around her entire bed. Was she in a bathtub? No, that couldn’t be right. Glancing downward, she could see a thin, white blanket strewn over her body. 

The beeping she heard before was coming from her right. She craned her head back to look at it, grunting in pain as she heard her neck cracking. It was most certainly a vitals monitor she had been hearing. A thin wire wrapped around the monitor and… under her blanket? 

“Is that… for me?” she croaked, letting out a hoarse cough. 

The haze in her mind cleared more and more. She was  _ definitely _ in the hospital, but she had no idea why. She could hear her heart rate increasing on the monitor behind her, rising from a steady seventy beats-per-minute to one hundred ten in just a few seconds. Her monitor began letting out a loud and steady beep, different from the one she had heard before.

A Creaden nurse walked into her room, swiping the curtains aside. When she saw Allie had woken, she couldn’t help but gasp. She muttered something to herself before leaving as quickly as she had arrived. 

“H-hey!” Allie coughed again, realizing her throat was incredibly dry. “Wait!” But the nurse had already left, unable to hear her strained cries.

She struggled in her bed, but her body felt weighed down as if her blanket were made of lead. She must have slept funny, because she couldn’t quite feel her left hand. 

“Allie? Allie, you’re awake!” 

She glanced over and saw what looked to be Doctor Yuvo standing at the foot of her bed. Her vision was slowly coming back to her and, although he was blurry, she could tell it was him. His arms were folded in front of his chest, as if to keep his heart from bursting out.

“Yuvo…?” 

“Hush now, dear. You’re safe here, at Astuva.”

So she was right, she  _ was _ at the hospital. Not that she had any doubts, but… “What happened?”

Yuvo approached her slowly and rested a hand on her left shoulder. “There’s… no easy way to tell you this, my dear.”

Allie paused, her mind slow to process his words. “Tell me what? Are you OK?”

“I’m… I’m OK. You, however…” Yuvo’s voice hitched. “Your left forearm suffered extreme frostbite. We had operated on you for six hour straight with the intention of… Well, we had the best intentions, let’s say. Maybe you should see it for yourself, on your own terms.” His words were heavy, almost falling out of his throat. 

Allie glanced down at her bedsheet, warm and inviting. Did she really  _ have _ to rip it off of her body like a bandage? Maybe not knowing was preferable, she considered. She dismissed these thoughts, realizing she couldn’t live in denial forever. She grabbed the blanket with her right arm and yanked it downward, exposing everything down to her hips.

She was missing her left forearm. 

“I’m so sorry, Allie. We tried as best we could, but there was nothing we could do. We…”

Allie kept staring at her stub wrapped in gauze. She had been expecting this to be an earth-shattering revelation, the thought that nothing would ever be the same again. But she just felt… empty. Did she want to cry? No, not really. Did she want to scream? A little, but no more than usual. The thoughts of her daily life and how complicated it would all become didn’t reach her mind at all. 

“Allie…? Alphonsia, my dear, please answer me.” Yuvo pleaded.

“Doctor, you should let her be. You need to rest.” A Creaden nurse entered the room, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. “You’ve been awake for gods know how long. I don’t want to have to perform a second operation if I don’t have to.”

“But…”

The nurse gestured to Allie. “She’ll be fine. Yes, she’s suffered a grievous injury and will likely need lots of counseling, but there’s nothing you can do for her right now. I’m sure she’d rather you rest than work yourself to death.”

Allie twisted and turned her arm, somehow expecting her forearm and hand to reveal themselves to her, as if they were hiding. She ran her hand along her wrapped elbow with the curiosity of a newborn grasping at its parents fingers. It was strange, she could feel her wiggling her fingers of her now non-existent hand. 

Yuvo sighed and looked at the nurse with heavy and tired eyes. He looked as though he could collapse at any moment. “Fine, but I need to know when we can set her up with a prosthetic. It’ll help with her… body image issues.”

The nurse’s expression fell. “I… don’t know yet. We’ll have to fit her for one, and that could take weeks, then we’ll need to 3D-print one, install the myoelectric sensors… it’s not an easy process, Yuvo.”

Yuvo was about to protest when he let out a long and drawn-out yawn. He could argue with the nurse later, after a power nap in his office and (hopefully) away from Allie. She didn’t need the extra stress in her life right now. 

Allie looked up at Yuvo and the nurse and asked, “Is everything alright?”

Yuvo nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her speak. The question she asked… he had no idea how to answer. He had to force the words out of his mouth, “Yes. I’ll be back soon, my dear. Call me if you need me, OK?”

Allie looked back down at her elbow stub. She had been absent-mindedly rubbing it this entire time. 

Yuvo excused himself quietly, holding back a scream of anguish. The nurse followed behind him, leaving Allie all alone in her room once more. But to Allie, it felt as though nothing had changed; she barely listened to what they were saying anyway. 

Her eyes felt heavy all of a sudden. Deciding she didn’t have anything better to do, she decided to fall back asleep, eager to awaken in her bed at home. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Allie awoke hours later, well after the sun had set. Her only clue that any time had passed was the darkened window to her side. She looked up at that same ceiling as before, still white and tiled. Once again, she was reminded that this  _ still _ was not her bedroom at home. At least her mind wasn’t quite so hazy.

However, the more her mind cleared, the more her memories returned to her. She remembered hearing Yuvo’s voice, then looking down at her...

Allie sprung upright, breathing heavily. Her heart rate monitor spiked in turn, peaking at a rapid one hundred twenty beats-per-minute. Beads of sweat began to drip down her forehead, and reflexively she attempted to wipe them away.

With her left hand, that she no longer had. 

She screamed when she looked down at her arm.  _ Where was it _ , she thought.  _ This was just a joke, right? _

Two nurses, one chameleon and one creaden, entered the room. They had been alerted both by Allie’s screaming and her vitals monitor alarm. It was strange how calm they looked, as if nothing bad happened. This was a  _ fucking crisis _ , Allie thought. 

“Where’s my arm?!” Allie screamed at the nurses, who looked far too overworked to be intimidated by her petulant cries. 

“Looks like she’s actually alert this time.” The Creaden commented, holding a small vial and a syringe in either hand. 

“Hey, Allie,” the other nurse spoke up. He was a short chameleon man who couldn’t have been much older than she was. “I’m Salva. This is Skapa. We’ve been keeping you company for the past two days. Glad to see you’re--”

“Answer my  _ fucking question _ ! Where. Is. My. Arm?!” She pointed with her stub, either out of habit or to illustrate her point further.

The two nurses looked at each other, the chameleon sighing and the creaden taking a step back. The sighing nurse walked closer and sat on the bed next to Allie’s. “We had to amputate your arm due to third-degree frostbite. Your entire arm was as black as coal--there was no saving it once it got that bad. We’re already in the process of getting you a prosthetic--”

“I don’t fucking  _ want _ a prosthetic. I want  _ my _ arm back.” Allie’s voice sharpened to a razor’s edge. Deep down, she knew she was being unreasonable, but she couldn’t contain herself. 

“Allie," the nurse sighed, “please. We did everything we could.”

“Wasn’t good enough, then, was it? Where’s Yuvo? I bet  _ he _ could’ve done something.” 

Salva and Skapa gasped in horror. Skapa spoke up. “He  _ did _ do something. Unfortunately, his best still wasn’t enough, if that’s any consolation to you.”

“Did he have enough help? Did he have all the tools he needed? What if he was just… missing something?” Allie asked, the edge in her voice dulling.

“We tried everything we could,” Salva answered. “Medical technology is amazing, but when you’re  _ that _ far gone, there’s only so much we can do.”

Allie went quiet, much to the nurses’ discomfort. She recalled the confrontation she had with Tract in painful detail: her breaking into Luchemita, her descent into the basement, him grabbing her arm. She could still feel the cold around her missing forearm, harsh and painful.

“It was  _ his _ fault.” Allie tried to get out of bed, only for Salva to leap forward and restrain her. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You need to stay in bed,” he said.

“I’ll rest when I make him pay,” she retorted, trying (and failing) to resist Salva. 

Skapa joined in and restrained Allie, pushing her onto her back. “Who are you even talking about, anyway?” he asked.

“Tract! He’s probably walking around  _ right now _ ! I can find him, and--”

“Oh, he’s in Shenuo on vacation,” Skapa said. The room went silent as Salva and Skapa waited for Allie’s next emotional outburst. 

After a pregnant pause, she asked, “How long have I been here?”

“About two and a half days, more or less,” Salva answered.

“...And how long will I need to stay?” Her voice grew calmer, more at ease. Was she finally accepting her situation?

“Depends. You’ll be on an IV drip for a little while. You know, making sure you’re not infected with anything. Once you’re well enough, we’ll fit you for a test prosthetic and get you practiced on that. You’ll need a  _ lot _ of physical therapy,” Salva explained.

Allie paused to think. The fire inside of her had faded, but she still felt uneasy about having a prosthetic arm. After all, it wasn’t  _ her _ arm. She lost her chance at having both arms, so why did she deserve another one? At least, that was her rationale. 

“I can get by with just this one arm, I think,” she said with surprising confidence. 

“We’ll, uh, give you some time to think,” Skapa said, tapping Salva’s shoulder. “We should really be going, but we’re here if you need us, alright?”

Allie nodded, laying back down in her bed. Her heart was still racing, almost beating out of her chest. Her heart felt like a jagged rock, shaking erratically in her chest. The sensation reminded her of the pyromas she’d seen. She wondered briefly if this was how a pyroma felt, just without the all-consuming heat. 

Her mind brought her back to Luchemita. In her mind’s eye, she stood outside of their laboratories. All she needed to do was sneak in, grab Hayley, and leave. Only… where  _ was _ Hayley now? 

Allie jolted back up in her bed, looking all around for her phone. She saw a small pile of stuff in the corner of the room: her stuff. Her jacket, her mask, and most importantly, her phone. She had prayed to any gods that would listen that Hayley was alright. 

How could she forget about her this whole time? Allie felt absolutely miserable, realizing Hayley wasn’t the first person that came to mind. All she could think about was herself, so much so that she wanted to vomit at her own selfishness. 

Allie leaned forward in a futile attempt to reach her phone. There was no way she could reach ten meters across the room with IV drips and monitors attached all over her body. She tried anyway, only serving to strain herself and the wires holding her back. 

She flopped back down on her bed, panting with exhaustion. She had actually started to sweat from overexerting herself, something she didn’t expect from so little work. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe if, on the off chance Hayley made it out of Luchemita alive, she would be better off without someone so selfish. Without someone so  _ useless _ . 

Allie tried to roll onto her side, but all the wires hooked up to her made it awkward. She couldn’t even  _ relax _ correctly anymore. Laying on her back, she attempted to fold her arms in frustration. However, the best she could manage was to grab at her bicep and dangle her elbow. 

As she rested, she wondered how difficult it would really be to live her day-to-day life now. She could still lay down in bed relatively easily, so that was fine. Showering would be a hassle, especially tying her hair into a ponytail like she normally does. She could probably still take notes in a book, but typing on a laptop would be too much effort. Thankfully, her phone had a swiping keyboard, which made one-handed typing much easier. 

How would working at a hospital go for her? She never saw any one-armed doctors or nurses walking around in all of her years. Did she  _ really _ need to use a prosthetic? The idea still felt like poison to her. Maybe she could get around it by using her feet to pick up things on the floor, or something. 

Another nurse walked into Allie’s room to swap out her IV bag. Realizing her opportunity, Allie spoke up. “Hey, can I have my phone? It’s over by my stuff,” she said, gesturing with her hand. 

“Hm? Oh, sure.” The nurse grabbed the phone and handed it over. 

Allie snatched the phone out of the nurse’s hand. Unlocking it as quickly as she could, she opened her messaging app and reached out to the first person that came to mind.

[21:44] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley

[21:44] **AlleyAlly** : I am so sorry for everything

[21:44] **AlleyAlly** : I was too weak and now I’m missing an arm

[21:44] **AlleyAlly** : I don’t even know if you’re alive

[21:45] **AlleyAlly** : Maybe I’m screaming into the void

[21:45] **AlleyAlly** : If you’re there, let me know

[21:46] **AlleyAlly** : Sorry

Allie dropped her phone next to her on the bed and sighed. She had hoped to see a dozen worried messages from Hayley; instead, she’d gotten silence. Maybe it was for the best. Hayley probably didn’t want anything to do with her. She’d  _ failed _ Hayley. Of  _ course _ she wanted some space. That was, of course, assuming she was still alive. 

Another person came to mind. When she remembered how badly  _ he _ dropped the ball, she suddenly felt a little better. At least she tried, while  _ he _ abandoned both of them. 

She grabbed her phone and opened her messaging app once again, but closed it before she could send anything. In a sudden moment of clarity, she realized she’d only lash out at him, possibly more than he deserved.

Allie tried to flip over in bed again, but remembered she couldn’t. Old habits die hard, she thought. Maybe getting some more rest would help. It had been a long week, despite her sleeping for almost half of it by this point. 

As she began drifting off to sleep, her phone buzzed once. Jolted awake, Allie grabbed her phone and read the notification on screen.

[21:58] **PhantomEyes** : allie???


	11. "It's a long way down."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie stares down her fears.

Allie thought she was dreaming. Had Hayley actually messaged her back, or was she just imagining it? She wanted to pinch herself, but she didn’t have a free hand to do so. Instead, she bit her lip _hard_ , wincing a little as she did. 

She was _definitely_ awake, and Hayley was _definitely_ messaging her right now. 

[21:59] **AlleyAlly** : Hayley I’m so glad to see you

[21:59] **AlleyAlly** : Well read you

[21:59] **AlleyAlly** : Are you OK

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : kinda sorta

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : i mean ill live but 

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : anyway dont worry about me right now r u ok

[22:00] **AlleyAlly** : As OK as I’ll ever be I suppose

[22:00] **AlleyAlly** : Kinda missing an arm now though

[22:00] **AlleyAlly** : At least it’s not my dominant one 

[22:00] **AlleyAlly** : What happened with you and Luchemita though

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : well you prolly heard i got taken in 

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : this cat dude named solum was experimenting on me

[22:00] **PhantomEyes** : said i was the missing piece to this grand puzzle

[22:01] **PhantomEyes** : he sounded happy but 

[22:01] **PhantomEyes** : i walked out with a pyroma

Allie’s chest tightened. This was all her fault, she thought. It was her idea to break into Luchemita, her idea to let Hayley go in, everything was her fault.

[22:01] **AlleyAlly** : I’m so fucking sorry

[22:01] **AlleyAlly** : I never wanted you to get caught up in this

[22:01] **PhantomEyes** : no no no dont apologize!!

[22:01] **AlleyAlly** : I could’ve helped you but

[22:01] **PhantomEyes** : i wanted to go in myself this wasnt ur fault

[22:01] **PhantomEyes** : it was solum not ur fault!!!!

Allie felt she didn’t deserve Hayley’s forgiveness nor her understanding. If she had just kept her mouth shut and did her job like a normal person, none of this would have happened. 

Wait, she thought, if Hayley had a pyroma, then it was entirely possible she was at Astuva Hospital. After all, the first pyroma patient had been hospitalized for more than a couple of days.

[22:03] **AlleyAlly** : Weird question but where are you right now

[22:03] **AlleyAlly** : Are you at Astuva Hospital

[22:03] **AlleyAlly** : Because I am

[22:03] **AlleyAlly** : Just woke up apparently

[22:03] **PhantomEyes** : yea actually

[22:03] **PhantomEyes** : can i come crash ur room like

[22:03] **PhantomEyes** : ur room has two beds right

[22:03] **PhantomEyes** : i really wanna see u again

[22:04] **AlleyAlly** : I’d like that a lot

[22:04] **AlleyAlly** : I can’t get up though

[22:04] **AlleyAlly** : Don’t know what room I’m in

[22:04] **PhantomEyes** : allie u basically live here 

[22:04] **PhantomEyes** : cant u recognize any room like its ur own

Hayley’s chipper tone confused Allie. Why wasn’t she more… miserable? Was she trying to cheer her up? Allie didn’t believe she deserved to be treated like a friend after everything that happened. 

[22:05] **PhantomEyes** : whatever ill swing by

[22:05] **PhantomEyes** : ill plop my stuff in the other bed

[22:05] **PhantomEyes** : can you just message one of ur doctor friends and like ok it w them 

[22:05] **AlleyAlly** : I can try but you know how they are here

Letting out a long and drawn-out sigh, Allie shouted, “Salva?! Skapa?!” She coughed, realizing her throat was still dry.

Salva the chameleon popped his head into the room. “Was that you calling?” he asked.

Allie coughed again. “My friend--her name is Hayley--she’s in another room. Can you get her stuff moved in here?” She looked at the empty bed next to her. “Shouldn’t be an issue, right?”

Salva blinked. “You sound pretty chipper all of a sudden. Let out all of that frustration you had before?”

“Well, not all of it, but... “

“Say no more. I’ll get her here lickety-split!” he said, disappearing behind the door frame.

Allie was left alone once more. How was she supposed to feel, exactly? Happy that Hayley didn’t hate her? Confused about _why_ she didn’t? Glad to have her company in what is undoubtedly her lowest moment? Miserable to subject Hayley to her own miseries? To say she felt ambivalent would be putting it lightly. Too many thoughts swirled around her mind and none of them registered. 

Before she knew it, Hayley walked into her room. She had been dressed down into a robe just like Allie was and looked no worse for wear. Hayley’s hair had been undone, letting her lengthy side cut flow freely behind her. Her ears had drooped slightly and her tail coiled around her waist as if in fear. Despite all of this, Hayley sported a warm and bright smile when she saw Allie.

“Allie!” she said, running to her. She stopped short in front of the bed. 

“It’s... It’s good to see you, Hay. I’m glad you’re OK,” she said, eyeing her friend up and down. No visible cuts or scars or anything immediately visible.

“And I’m glad you’re…” She looked down at Allie’s missing arm. She quickly pulled her gaze back up, however, and tried to pretend her staring was just her stifling a cough. “You’re alive.”

Allie saw right through this, of course. She had to imagine lots of people would stare, and Hayley was no exception. “I could say the same for you. I had no idea what was going on once I went into their labs. I kind of just…” Allie recalled descending the elevator, going down the hallway, and then encountering… _him_. 

“You did your best, Allie. You really did. I really don’t know how to put into words how, like...” She paused to think. “How much I appreciate that. It goes beyond words.”

“...Thanks,” she said, sounding colder than she had intended. “I-I mean, I appreciate hearing that, but it doesn’t change the fact I royally fucked up. Look at us.”

Hayley’s ears had just started to perk, only to droop once more. “I know, but it’s not your fault. You did your best, and all of this was… It was Solum’s fault, not yours. He took my affinity and your arm, in a way.”

“I know that, but I can’t help but think about how things could’ve turned out differently. How I could’ve been _better_. How I could’ve been there for you when you needed it most.”

Hayley hugged Allie again, sniffling quietly. “I need it most right now. And you’re here.”

Allie sighed, looking down at her stub. It took her a moment to register the hug and return it. “I don’t mean to bring down the mood, but…”

“But?” 

“...This really sucks. Like, I know you were just talking about how much you appreciated my attempt to help, but at the back of my mind, I just feel so _shitty_ about it.” She pulled away. “I just had a thought--an intrusive thought--that I did all of this for nothing. I could’ve just… stayed asleep in your bed. I wouldn’t have had to lose my arm. This was for _nothing_ , Hayley.” As she spoke, she clutched her stub, her nails digging into her gauze.

“Allie…”

“And I know you’ve suffered a lot for this too, and I still feel really fucking bad that I came up with this idea at all. But I feel even worse when I think about how I could’ve just left you there, and things would have turned out _better_ for it. I think that if I went back in time, I wouldn’t try and save you again.”

Hayley was silent with understanding, nodding quietly. 

“And I feel even _worse_ for thinking that, because how fucked up is that?! You’ve gone through some real shit, too! Why would I be exempt from it, but you wouldn’t be? It’s not fucking fair!” 

“I--”

“And at the end of the day, it’s not like it even fucking matters! We can’t just change the past, we can’t make it better! We just gotta sit here and fucking deal with all of it, as if the gods are laughing at us.”

Hayley sniffled, tears streaming down her cheek. She hugged Allie as tight as she could and whispered into her ear, “You’re still my best friend, Allie. No matter what.”

Allie’s verbal rampage came to a screeching halt. She wrapped her arm around Hayley again and hugged her as tight as she could. Before she knew it, she was crying. Ugly, disgusting sobs escaped Allie’s throat as mucus spewed out of her nose and onto Hayley’s robe. She didn’t care how awful she looked right now. These tears were the most catharsis she has ever had, and she needed them almost as badly as she needed her arm back.

Hayley rubbed Allie’s back with her one hand while the other stroked her hair gently. She waited patiently for Allie to let it all out, however long that might take. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Hayley. I can’t say sorry enough,” Allie blubbered. 

“You don’t need to apologize, but if it makes you feel better…” Hayley paused briefly. “Apology accepted.” 

Allie looked up at Hayley and sniffled. “I’ve rambled too much.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “How do _you_ feel, though? About, you know...”

“My affinity?” Hayley instinctively reached for her chest with a loose grip. “It’s like… It’s like I lost one of my senses. Taste, touch, that kind of thing. My affinity was just another one of them, but now it’s gone. It feels like I’ve been blinded, or deafened. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

“Like losing an arm?” Allie asked.

Hayley’s breath hitched in her throat. “I didn’t want to make that comparison, but it’s not entirely inaccurate. I read about how you can still feel your hand, even if it’s not there anymore. I can feel where my affinity _used_ to be, but… it’s so ethereal, it’s like someone ripped an emotion out of my chest.” She chuckled for a second. “That bastard gave me depression.”

When Allie heard those words, she thought her heart would stop. However, she felt an inexplicable serenity. Why was she so calm about this? Did the crying really help that much? “That’s awful…” she said, recalling the first pyroma patient’s reaction.

“It’s really fucking difficult, but when I’m with you, I feel more at ease. Like, maybe things aren’t so bad! Or, hey, I might get my affinity back!” Hayley smiled.

 _Of course she’s calm, she’s using my affinity_ , Allie thought. 

“You really make things just… easier to process.”

 _I knew it_ , she thought. Any doubt she had vanished before her into a cloud of smoke. 

“And I’m not just saying that because of your affinity.”

Her eyes went wide. Hayley was just lying, right? There was no way…

“I can’t even begin to describe how relieved I was when I saw your message. As panicked and as self-deprecating as they may have been, it’s still so nice to hear from you,” Hayley said, not a hint of deceit in her voice. 

“I don’t understand,” Allie admitted. “Why aren’t you more devastated? You should be broken, like the first patient. Affinities are part of your identity, your very _soul_! Without yours, who are you?”

“To be honest, I think I’m still processing it. Maybe I’ll cry my eyes out tomorrow, or a week from now, or never. But right now? I feel fine. Like, maybe I’ll get better, or worse, or maybe nothing will ever change. Maybe this is just my new normal. I’ll have to get used to whatever happens, and I’m no stranger to being disappointed by myself.” Hayley forced a grin. “I’m still Hayley fuckin’ Byrde. I may suck a bit more as a hacker, but I’ll be damned if I won’t put on a strong face for my best friend.”

Allie had no idea how to feel. The more she thought, the more she wondered if she would ever know how to feel about anything. Her brain had slowed to a crawl these past few days, attempting to process all of the horrors she had witnessed and experienced. Perhaps all she needed was more rest, and most importantly, time. 

Time to process everything. Her new lifestyle, Hayley’s new sense of self, the cruel reality that life did not care about her nor her friends, and… 

How exactly had Allie ended up in the hospital? Thinking back to her encounter with Tract, she recalled blacking out, only to wake up here. She vaguely recalled hearing a voice chiding her for her recklessness, but that could have easily just been her imagination. But something told her that she hadn’t been dreaming about it. 

Allie stowed that thought at the back of her mind for the time being. Her head felt as though it would explode if she thought too many things at once, and Hayley came first. 

Hayley asked, “Are you OK? You look like you’re spacing out.”

Allie shook her head, not to say no but to clear her mind. “I’m fine, just tired.”

“You were practically a zombie before this happened. I can’t imagine how you feel now.”

“Well, it’s not great. I can only imagine how _you_ feel, though.”

Hayley sighed. “It’s like I said, not great. But I’m not going to curl up in a ball and cry for the rest of my life. Besides…”

Allie’s ears perked in interest.

“Maybe, if Solum was right about his research, we could _all_ have affinities. I could even get mine back, if…”

Allie grabbed Hayley by the shoulder. “I… I can’t even begin to imagine how much you suffered without your affinity, but… But we can’t let Solum get away with this. The people he’s hurt, the amount of damage he’s done, it’s unforgivable. I don’t know who’s gonna be able to stop him, but someone needs to.”

“I… I think you’re right. But part of me just keeps thinking, you know, what if?” Hayley paused, expecting a response. When she got none, she continued. “I know it’s all kinds of fucked up, but I can’t stop thinking about what if I can get it back, somehow. Is that fucked up of me?”

“Hayley…”

“It’s just… I miss it so much, but at the same time, I don’t feel this hole in my chest. I don’t really _feel_ anything. Hah… maybe this is what that patient felt. I probably sound like a broken, fucked up record.” Hayley said, staring at the wall. “What if Solum cracks the code to this affinity bullshit? Then what?”

“Are you hearing yourself right now? Solum’s a fucking shitsack. We need to get revenge for what he did! He took my arm! He took your affinity! He took _everything_ from those other patients!”

“I… I know. But at the same time, what if he already has what he wants? If he already has everything he needs...”

Allie’s expression morphed from self-pity to disappointment. “Hayley… You and I both know it’s not that simple. I bet you he still hasn’t figured all this out. After all, if it was so easy, couldn’t someone else have done it by now?” 

Hayley sighed, still refusing to meet Allie’s gaze. “I know all of this, Allie. Believe me, it’s all I’ve been thinking about these past few days. I just… I need this hope in my heart, right now.”

“Hayley...”

“I… I’m sorry, Allie.” A tear welled in her eye.

“Hayley, you know I love you. I really do.” She paused, holding back a tear. “Sorry. If I say much more, I’m just going to make it worse.”

Hayley got up and nodded. “I’ll get one of the nurses to walk you around. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong. _I’m_ the one who’s being an irrational bitch.”

Hayley said nothing more and left. Before long, Skapa returned and made his way over to Allie’s vital monitor. He took it off the wall and attached it to a long metal pole with wheels. “We figured you’d want to walk, so we got you this, too,” he said, grabbing a folded-up walker from inside the closet next to her bed. 

Allie helped herself up, struggling as she balanced her weight against one arm. Her entire body felt heavier than she remembered, but then again, she hadn’t been able to stand for days now. She clutched the handle of the now unfolded walker and balanced her weight against it, her legs shaking and her arm wobbling. It strained her entire body just to stand, but it felt good to stretch.

“You’re doing great,” Skapa said, pushing the vital monitor behind her as she progressed slowly. 

Allie’s steps were slow but deliberate. She could feel her heart pounding out of her chest, no doubt because of how much effort she had been exerting. 

“Where do you want to go?” Skapa asked.

“...The roof, if possible. I need fresh air,” she answered.

“Oh, um, it’s kind of late. And dark.”

“That’s fine. Can we take the elevator? It’s just over here,” she pointed with her stub. 

Skapa looked down the hall and saw the elevator she had pointed out. “I guess we can.”

Allie continued walking, her pace slowly but surely quickening. Her steps grew more confident and powerful. _At least I have both legs_ , she thought. 

Now standing in front of the elevator, Allie slammed the call button with her stub. The doors slid open with a soft and satisfying _ding_ , granting her entry. Skapa entered behind her and pressed the roof button. The doors closed and the elevator ascended to the very top, leading to a short hallway with a locked door at the end of it.

Skapa went ahead and unlocked the rooftop’s door. After all, patients and visitors shouldn’t just be able to go on the roof at will. Allie wasn’t far behind him. What was once a grueling crawl turned into a confident stride. It was as if each step granted Allie just a bit more confidence, all of it integrating into her gait. 

Allie felt the cool night air hit her fur for the first time in days. It felt refreshing being able to smell the horrible city air for herself. She could see hundreds of buildings stretching into the distance, melting into the horizon. She looked up and saw stars between the breaks in the clouds, something she had never quite appreciated until just now. 

“Beautiful night, huh?” Skapa asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah… Hey, Skapa?”

“What is it?”

“Can you… leave me alone up here? Just for a little while, like five or ten minutes. I need some alone time.” 

“I don’t know about that. Are you sure you’re gonna be alright on your own?”

“Yes. I just want to stargaze for a while.”

Skapa thought briefly before answering. “Alright. I’ll be near the elevator, so if you need me, just shout. Alright?”

“Thank you.” 

Skapa turned around and went back inside, closing the door behind him. He left the door propped open, just in case. 

Left alone, Allie turned her attention skyward. The stars twinkled brightly, despite the horrendous light pollution that Astuva was almost famous for. It made her wish she lived in the countryside just so she could see everything in its true glory.

Allie pushed the walker aside, able to stand on her own. She dragged her vital monitor with her and walked towards the edge of the roof. She rested her hand against the chest-high railing and glanced all around.

“It’s a long way down,” she said to herself. 

“Alphonsia Inocencio.” A strange voice called to her from behind.

Allie turned around. That was _definitely_ not Salva nor Skapa, and absolutely not Hayley. “Who are you?”

The hooded figure stood across from Allie. They wore the same gray hooded cloak with the same black fox mask as before. Its crimson eyes pierced Allie’s soul like arrows. 

“Answer me! Are you with Luchemita? Are you here to finish me off? I’m not much of a threat to you now, am I?!” 

The figure spoke, “I’m not from Luchemita. You and your family call me your guardian angel, isn’t that right?”


	12. Infinite Rebound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie learns about her lineage.

Allie scoffed. “Some guardian angel you are, then.” She shook her stub angrily at the so-called ‘guardian’ before her. “Look at me. I’m a mess, no thanks to you.”

“I did what I could, Alphonsia. Believe me when I say I had tried my best to protect you,” the guardian said, hand on their chest. 

“Bullshit. If you’re really some kind of guardian, you would’ve killed Tract before he even touched me.” Allie paused. “Actually, why  _ are _ you a guardian anyway? What reason do you have to give a shit about me?”

“It’s complicated,” they answered. 

“I don’t care. Tell me everything.”

“You wouldn’t understand it all.”

Allie walked forward, clutching their vital monitor. “You owe me something. If you couldn’t save my arm, then at least tell me who the  _ fuck _ you are. Why me? Why are you supposedly ‘watching over’ me?”

The guardian sighed. “Where to start…?”

Allie struggled to sit down on the cold rooftop. “Your name would be good. I doubt your parents named you Guardian or something.”

“I have many names, but you may call me Shanalotte.”

“Fancy,” she nodded. “Alright, Shannie, tell me about yourself.” 

“I am a Creaden, like you. I am also  _ incredibly _ old,” they answered.

“You don’t sound that old,” she commented.

Shanalotte chuckled. “I get that a lot. But I can prove to you that I’m older than I let on. How well do you know your great grandfather? Or even your grandparents for that matter?”

“I dunno, probably better than you do, considering they’re  _ my _ family, not yours,” she said.

“You never met Elric.”

“What, like  _ you _ did?”

Shanalotte sighed. “I told you I am incredibly old. I actually knew your great-great-grandparents--Elric’s parents--personally.” There was a hint of sorrow in their voice.

“Uh huh,” Allie said, grabbing her elbow. 

“But I digress,” they continued. “Your great grandfather Elric was a fantastic man. He was incredibly protective of those he loved and could never do any harm. It’s funny, now that I think about it. It’s like his spirit lives on in you--the way you’re studying to be a doctor, that’s what he would’ve done in another life.”

“And how do I know you’re not just making this up? I mean, Elric was  _ probably _ my great grandfather’s name, but this isn’t really concrete evidence.” Allie said, wishing she knew more about her own family tree.

Shanalotte chuckled. “Well, I’ve been watching over your family for almost a century. Your parents are Lawrence and Soleil Inocencio. They met in a bar when they were in their early twenties; your mom vomited all over the counter and your dad helped her clean it up.”

“That’s… incredibly specific. Also gross.”

“They exchanged numbers and, not long after, started dating. When your dad was thirty-four and your mom thirty-six, they had you,” Their words flowed as if they were reading them from a book. “They were both incredibly anxious about having you. The doctors said you would be born with a congenital heart defect. But when you were born, the doctors told them you were as healthy as could be.”

“How do you know all of this?” Allie asked, realizing that Shanalotte couldn’t possibly be making this up. After all, her parents had told her about how they met and about her suspected birth defect. “Maybe they blabbed about it to their coworkers or friends. It’s not that unusual.”

“I was there. Watching, waiting. Whenever they were in trouble, I intercepted. Tell me, Alphonsia, did your dad ever tell you about that incident from his high school days?”

Allie gulped. Her dad swore her never to repeat that story to  _ anyone _ . “How…”

“Your dad is a brilliant man, but I couldn’t have said that years ago. He fancied one of his classmates, and in an attempt to win her over, he bought her a plush toy. Except he failed to realize she was allergic to the material, and caused her to sneeze uncontrollably. He was so distraught he wrestled the toy out of her hand and chucked it out the nearest window, but pegged the principal in the head, knocking his glasses off in the process. It didn’t take long for the principal to figure out what happened, and your father was suspended for a week.”

“He was  _ so _ embarrassed…”

“Have I proven myself adequately, or do you still have doubts? I can tell you details about your own upbringing, if you’d like,” Shanalotte offered. “No, no! I’m good, thank you. We don’t need to revisit any of my cringe-worthy moments in my youth!” 

“I thought as much. Do you know the best way to make everyone forget about your past embarrassments?” They leaned in closer to Allie. “Outlive everyone who saw it.”

“...How old are you?” she asked.

“That’s, er, hmm.” 

“You  _ forgot _ ?” 

“When you get past one hundred years, it can be a little hard to remember. After all, what’s the next milestone? One hundred fifty? I can already legally drink, so what more do I want?”

“Uh huh.” Allie knew better than to remain skeptical, but something about their story just felt off. She knew they were telling the truth, but they just didn’t expect Shanalotte to be so candid about it.

“In any case, I’m sure you’d like to know why I’m here. Your great grandfather Elric had one request to me.”

“Was it to protect me? But he didn’t know about me yet,” she said.

Shanalotte crouched down, leaning against one of the air conditioning units. “He just said to live out my best life, but he would appreciate keeping his adopted son out of trouble. I did as he asked, and before I knew it, his son had a son. Then that son had another one. And then you came along. So I just kept doing it, playing bodyguard for all of the Inocencios that came along. I wish I could say it wasn’t that bad, but your family has a tendency to injure yourselves.”

“Am I supposed to apologize for trying to save Hayley’s life?”

“No, of course not. All I’m saying is: don’t make my job any harder than it already is.”

“Is that what this is all about? You’re just frustrated that I went and injured myself? That you had to get up and  _ do _ something?” Allie growled.

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Your ability to read too deeply into what others tell you is rivaled only by your ability to shove your head up your own ass,” they said, their voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh, fuck  _ off _ .”

“Listen, Alphonsia, I know a thing or two about moving on from hard times. I couldn’t even begin to tell you about what I’ve been through. I--”

The door behind Shanalotte creaked open. “Allie?” Skapa called. “Are you ready to--”

Shanalotte stood up and glared at Skapa through their gray fox mask. Their crimson eyes bore holes into his flesh. “She’s busy.”

Skapa began to sweat. “I-I’ll come back later.” He swung the door shut and left as quickly as he could.

Shanalotte turned around and crouched back down. “I’ve seen some shit in my time, Alphonsia. You’ll have plenty of time to mope and grieve, but Hayley needs you to be strong right now. As much as she tries to hide it, she’s just as confused and scared as you are.”

“She is? She sounded so… confident. Like this was the only option we had,” Allie wondered if Hayley really  _ was _ just putting on a brave face for her. 

“She’s just like her parents, and her grandparents, and especially her great grandparents. They’re not as stubborn as you are, but by the gods are they opaque. They try their damndest to put on a smile when they’re drowning in sorrow on the inside. I’m sure you’ve seen her do that before, haven’t you?” they asked.

Allie paused. Despite knowing Hayley for so long, she never realized just how often she’d mask her true thoughts and feelings. When she thought about how she spoke, how she handled rough times, it all began to make sense. “I suppose so.”

“Don’t let this divide you. Let this unite you against the greater threat ahead of you. You both suffered great losses, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of the fight.”

“I wish I could agree,” she sniffled. “But right now, curling up into a ball and just laying there sounds incredibly appealing.”

“It does, doesn’t it? But that’s why you absolutely cannot do that. Not yet. Not while you still have people you need to protect. Isn’t that why you became a medical student in the first place? What kind of doctor gives up in the face of adversity?”

“I’m not a doctor. I’m allowed to give up.”

Shanalotte stood up and grabbed Allie by her robe’s collar. “I don’t give a fuck what you think you are. You’re a doctor and you know it. I didn’t drag your unconscious body halfway across town just for you to give up. I haven’t been watching your family tree for decades just to go back to the home I don’t have. You have a duty to uphold.”

Allie shied away, staring anywhere else. Looking into their eyes was too frightening for her to confront. “I’ve been coping with losing my arm for, what, an hour? Excuse me for feeling sorry for myself.”

“This isn’t feeling sorry for yourself. You might as well be embracing death’s caress if you’re going to just sit there.”

“I…”

“You’re tougher than that. Come on, Alphonsia. I can tell you don’t want to give up, deep down. I can feel it. You’re lying to yourself if you think otherwise.”

Allie couldn’t deny their words. She  _ knew _ she couldn’t give up, not here and not now. As frightening and confusing as this new reality would be, she owed it to everyone who suffered at Luchemita’s--no, Solum’s--hands to be strong. This was the path she chose long ago, and she had to see it through to the very end. 

“I can tell you’re realizing I’m right,” Shanalotte said, watching her face morph from denial to quiet acceptance. 

“Can you please let me down now?” she asked.

Shanalotte let go, watching Allie fall gracefully. 

“I can’t say I feel all that much better, but...”

“But?” Shanalotte asked.

“I can work through it. I’m gonna feel fucking miserable and probably even violently depressed for weeks, if not months. Sometimes I’ll struggle to get out of bed, let alone take care of myself. But this isn’t the end, not by a long shot.”

Shanalotte chuckled, but their mask muffled it. “So what will you do now?”

Allie wrapped her hand tight around the vital monitor. “I’m gonna talk to Hayley, then we’ll figure that out together. But I want to take down Luchemita, or at the very least, Solum. He needs a healthy dose of ass-kicking.” 

“I see. In that case, you might want this.” Shanalotte said, pulling down their hood. They grabbed the fox mask with both hands and removed it slowly. Their Creaden ears fluffed and wiggled in response to the cool air outside. 

Allie watched in awe. Shanalotte’s emerald eyes were the last thing she had expected from someone masquerading in a cloak and mask. Their expression seemed so serene and gentle, completely unlike what she had imagined. She was expecting someone twice their age with wrinkles, liver spots, or even just more menacing eyes. 

“Take this mask. Let it be a reminder.” Shanalotte offered their mask. 

“A reminder…?”

“Even if you’ve lost everything, there’s still more to find. When everything burns down, there will always be something waiting for you in the ashes.”

Allie took the mask cautiously. It was surprisingly cool, as if it hadn’t been worn in ages. Wouldn’t Shanalotte’s body heat warm the mask up? Unless…

“Are you going to try it on or not?”

Allie put the mask on. Her ears fit inside the fox mask’s ears perfectly, her snout lining up with the mask’s just as well. It felt… amazing. It was as if the mask held some innate power, and now it was hers. “Thank you, Shanalotte.”

“You’re welcome. I might not always be there for you, but I’ll be watching from the shadows. You and Hayley both. After all, I knew  _ her _ family too.”

“Does she know about you?” she asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I didn’t want to say it, but her family tends to stay out of trouble. I think one of her great-grandmothers had enough adventure for her entire lineage.”

“Oh…”

“As I said, you Inocencios  _ love _ to start trouble.”

Allie glanced down at her stub, but instead of feeling overwhelming dread, she felt… calm. Well, as calm as she could, given the circumstances. She had just taken the first step towards accepting her new ‘normal.’ “Can’t you help us, Shanalotte? We could use your help.”

They smirked. “I’m flattered, but I’ll have to decline. I have some work to attend to elsewhere.”

“What’s so important that you can’t help us with this?” she insisted.

“Well, it’s… personal. It’s something that nobody asked me to do, but I’ve been doing it anyway.” 

“And that is…?”

Shanalotte patted her on the shoulder. “Have you ever heard of the legends of this world? With the creator gods?”

“Not really.”

“Well, let’s just say there are some things that shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. And trust me, there are plenty of wrong hands in this world.”

“Alright, then. I don’t think I’ll ever understand, though.” Her ears would droop if they could, but the mask kept them upright.

“It’s alright. Maybe if I can find a permanent home for them, I can finally rest…”

“I hope you do, then. Good luck, Shanalotte.”

“You as well.” They stepped back, giving a quick bow. “May the light of truth guide your way.”

Allie could feel herself welling up a little. She tried to wipe the tears, but remembered she was wearing the mask. As she slipped the mask off, Shanalotte disappeared from sight like a ghost. For a second, she wondered if Shanalotte was actually real or if she had just imagined it. However, the mask in her hands proved she wasn’t dreaming. 

With renewed strength, Allie wheeled the vitals monitor over to the rooftop door and opened it. She could see Skapa sitting curled up, suckling his thumb like a baby. The sight made her laugh hard, almost painfully so. 

“H-hey! Don’t laugh! What the  _ fuck _ happened out there, Allie? Who was that?!” 

“It was nothing, Skapa. Can we just go back to my room? Please?” She waved her hand dismissively. 

Skapa pointed at the mask in her hand. “Where’d you find that?”

“Oh, I found this on the roof. I thought it looked cool, you know? It’s, uh, like the mask I have in my room.”

Skapa narrowed his gaze. “Uh huh. Well, I know better than to question what you say. You’ve got some freaky rooftop rendezvous shit going on, and frankly, I’ll pass on getting involved.” 

“That’s probably for the best. Come on, I want to see Hayley.”

The two descended in the elevator wordlessly. Allie carried herself with newfound confidence and hope, a far cry from how she had felt earlier. Skapa couldn’t help but smile when he saw her spirits lifted. 

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, welcoming Allie back to her floor. She walked herself out of the elevator and down the hallway and into her room. Hayley had been resting in her bed with her phone, staring wistfully. When she heard Allie walking in, she jumped out of bed and ran up to her.

“Allie! I’m so sorry about earlier--I was being so insensitive. You definitely didn’t need that, especially not now.” She wanted to hug her, but restrained herself.

“It’s okay. I’m glad you said what you did. It really made me think about what’s going on, and… I can’t say I entirely disagree with you.” Allie let go of her monitor and wrapped her arm around Hayley’s back.

Hayley returned the hug, feeling her warm embrace. However, she felt something strange in Allie’s hand. “What’re you holding?”

“Oh, uh, I found this on the roof. It’s a mask. Thought it’d look cool if I took it, you know?” Allie pulled away and examined the mask. She put it up to her face and asked, “What do you think?”

“It, uh, wow. That looks high quality, unlike your piece of shit plague doctor mask.”

“Hey!” 

Hayley giggled. “Anyway, you should lay down. You look like you’re exhausted.”

Allie tried to dismiss her concerns, but she realized she was  _ extremely _ tired. She helped herself into her bed and, when she rested her head against the pillow, realized just how heavy her eyelids were. “Maybe I should get some rest soon.”

“Soon? Go to sleep, Allie. I’ll be here in the morning.”

“I’ll sleep in a minute, but I want to ask what you think we should do next. You know, about Luchemita and Solum,” Allie rested her arm on her stomach, as if to quell the butterflies inside. Asking Hayley about this made her more nervous than she expected. 

“Well, I thought about what you said and I think you’re right. We  _ do _ need to do something about Luchemita, or at the very least, Solum. I just don’t think we should completely undo what he’s done.”

“Yeah… I understand. So, we’re on the same page then?” 

“Always,” Hayley said.

Allie yawned. “Good, good. Listen, I really need to sleep now. I’ll probably be stuck here for a few weeks doing some physical therapy. I know you’ll be discharged soon, but… Can you visit every now and then?”

Hayley sputtered. “I’ll be here every day, girl!”

“Heh. Thank you, Hay. We’ll come up with a plan of attack when I get better, alright?”

“Of course. Rest well, Allie.”

“You too.”

Allie closed her eyes, Shanalotte’s mask resting on the bed next to her. Its presence alone made her feel a bit more at ease, as if Shanalotte themself had been watching over her. It made her feel nostalgic, like having a plush protect her from the monsters under her bed. Except now, the monsters had names and jobs. 

Allie would have to bide her time, but when she was ready, she would make her move.


	13. Rise From Your Cold Hospital Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie settles for a replacement.

To say Allie’s weeks of recovery in Astuva Hospital were agonizing would be doing her a disservice. Every morning she’d wake up and immediately make her way to the physical therapy office on the upper levels. From there, she’d subject herself to intense and painful stretches to keep her muscles from atrophying. As bad as she felt now, her life would be significantly more difficult if she had the strength of a toddler. 

After all, how would she be able to operate a prosthetic if she could barely lift her arm? 

It had been twelve days since Allie awoke from her surgery. Each day had been slightly easier than the last, but not enough for her to appreciate. She wondered just how long it’d take her to get over all of this, but her counselor told her it could be years. 

She  _ hated _ getting counseling. It felt so weird, talking about her struggles and fears to someone she had never met before. She tried her best to work through it, but it just never felt as productive as she wanted it to be.  _ Hayley would understand _ , she thought. 

Thankfully, Hayley visited as often as she could. She would visit every day, sometimes even twice a day, and just listen to Allie let out all of her fears. Some days felt the same as others, retreading old horrors and memories. But recovery wasn’t a straight line; it zig-zagged, looped back on itself, or even halted outright, just to resume later. 

Where would she go once she got discharged? What would she do? What about her prosthetic arm? How would her family react when they saw her? And her classmates? 

She had even more questions, but she felt her head swelling the more she dwelled on it. Despite having all the time in the world, she didn’t have all that much time to think. The bulk of her days was spent resting and recovering from the intensive therapy sessions, both physical and mental. 

One day, they fitted her with a dummy prosthetic--one that was clearly not her size, but still reacted to her neural inputs. It responded to the myoelectrical signals in her muscles, allowing her to maneuver her forearm, wrist, and fingers individually. When she first put it on, she didn’t know how to react. She stared at the not-her-arm strapped to her elbow and wondered if she really  _ had _ to take it off.

Then again, she did say she never wanted a prosthetic. But trying it out, getting a chance to feel it in action, it made her reconsider. She missed having this kind of autonomy. She felt whole again. Her phantom pain suddenly became validated, as if this piece of metal somehow understood how she felt better than anyone else did. 

When the counselor tried to remove the arm, Allie refused. She insisted on having ‘just a few more minutes,’ but the counselor insisted. For a moment, Allie wondered how bad it would hurt if she back-handed the counselor with her robo-arm. 

Maybe an assault charge wasn’t worth it, she realized. 

Allie relented and handed over the prosthetic. Despite disarming herself, she could still feel her arm. Her fingers were still there, her hand, her wrist, and her forearm, too. It was all still  _ there _ , but she couldn’t see them. She couldn’t use them. They were still  _ there _ . 

On the upside, the counselor told her that they’d measured her for a prosthetic. This one would be just for her, made for her. While it did help her feel a little better, she still wanted that same euphoria she had felt just before. Could one be addicted to the idea of having two functioning arms? she thought.

When Allie sulked back to her bed, she reached for her nonexistent hand. She hated to admit that she cried a lot that night, but each tear was one step towards recovery. At least, that was what her counselor told her. The more she let it all out, the more she could move forward. 

Another day passed, and the time finally came: Allie’s prosthetic was ready and waiting for her. 

She woke up with the same eagerness as a child waking up on their birthday. She had been grinning from ear to ear--possibly having smiled all night long--and couldn’t wait any longer. This was the most excited she had felt in a long time.

Yuvo entered her room to greet her personally. He, too, had barely been able to contain his excitement. He folded his hands in front of himself as he stood at the foot of her bed. “Good m--”

“Is it ready?!” she squealed.

“It’s, uh, almost ready. I just wanted to see how you were--”

“How much longer? A couple of minutes? Are they bringing it here or do we have to go out to the rehab center?” 

Yuvo tugged at his collar. While it was nice to see her happy for once,  _ this _ was a bit much. “We’ll bring it to you, but we want to know what kind of color scheme you want it to have. It’ll look something like this.” He pulled out his phone and unlocked it, turning the screen to face Allie.

Allie stared at the photo on screen. A metallic prosthetic arm rested on a tabletop, its black paint job contrasting heavily with the almost snow-white table. She could see the carbon fiber texture from the photograph, something Hayley had talked her into getting. There were gaps in the prosthetic for the finger joints, wrist, and elbow to move freely and naturally. Between the gaps were tiny vermilion wires, presumably to send the myoelectrical impulses to each joint. 

The arm looked long enough to reach halfway up Allie’s upper arm, which she appreciated. The fewer people could see her scars, the better. Overall, she was satisfied with how it looked from the photograph. It looked sleek, yet not too futuristic. She wanted something that wouldn’t stand out too much, but something that wasn’t a complete eyesore either. 

“The outer layers can be swapped out for different textures or colors since they’re 3D-printed. You could have a new cover for each day of the week and coordinate it with your outfit. Then again, you were never too into fashion, were you?” Yuvo asked.

“Huh? Oh, uh, sorry.” Allie realized she wasn’t paying attention. “I can swap out the design?”

He nodded.

“Is it possible to etch something into the cover, then?”   


“I… suppose. We don’t have any etching machines here since they’d be purely cosmetic, of course,” he explained.

“Alright, then. Everything looks good here, so when can I get the arm?” she asked.

Yuvo put his phone away. “Actually, if I’m not mistaken…”

Before he could finish, Salva and Skapa rolled in, carrying a silver briefcase between them. They laid it out on the cart next to Allie’s bed and opened it up, revealing the prosthetic in all of its gunmetal gray glory. 

Allie whipped her arm over and ripped the prosthetic out of its case. Holding it by the base, she slid her stub in until she felt it locking into place. It really  _ was _ fit for her, she thought. After making a few cursory checks to ensure it was tightened and on right, she lifted her new hand up. She attempted to wiggle each finger individually, but it felt more like she had been controlling a crane. It felt so mechanical and unnatural at first, but the more she did it…

“What do you think?” Yuvo asked.

Allie focused, learning the ins-and-outs of her newfound arm. With a great deal of effort, she managed to fold all of her fingers inward, then extend her middle finger outward. 

Yuvo’s face dropped. “Really?” 

“Sorry, I just wanted to test….” She curled her finger back down, forming a fist. As she unclenched it, her eyes lit up brighter than they ever had before. The sensation was unlike any she had ever felt before, but the more she thought about it, the harder it was to explain. She had  _ definitely _ curled her left hand into a fist before the… incident. But being able to do it again, for the first time in weeks, it was liberating. She felt like she had three arms now. 

“I take it you’re adjusting well?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.” She flexed her bicep as she spoke. “I’m really liking this. More than I thought I would, actually.”

“Good, good.” Yuvo jotted down some notes onto his clipboard before glancing back at her. “You can take some time off of work to get fully acquainted with your new arm. I know school starts soon, too, but I can put in a good word to let you start later.”

“Thanks. I don’t think I’ll need too long, but…”

“But?”

Allie looked at Salva and Skapa, who were still in the room. They were chatting quietly to each other but fell to a hush when she looked their way. “I want to talk to Yuvo alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Alright. Let’s go.” Salva grabbed Skapa by the wrist and pulled him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Allie fell back into her bed and exhaled loudly. “I need to get back at him.”

“Who?”

“Tract. You already knew that, though, didn’t you? When you saw the frostbite on my arm, you  _ had _ to know it was his work.”

“Allie, I… I really believe you when you say that, but I’ve known him for  _ years _ . I’ve never had a problem with him before, so it’s hard to wrap my head around this.” Yuvo paused. “It’s just hard to reconcile what I know versus what you’re telling me. I can’t imagine he’d do this to you on purpose.”

“I know, but he did this to me. He knew what would happen.”

“He… can get wrapped up in his work, I’ll admit. I’d never imagine he’d go this far--not in a million years.” 

Allie clutched at the base of her prosthetic. “I need answers. I need to find him, and once I do, I can find out where Solum is and get back at him, too.” 

“I can’t condone this kind of revenge. If what you’re saying is true, then I agree that Tract needs to answer for what he’s done. I just don’t want to see you do something you’ll regret.”

She answered, “I won’t.”

“Alright, fine. Not that it matters, since Tract has been out of work for weeks now. Nobody has been able to get in touch with him.”

“Of course. Coward.” 

“ _ Allie _ .” 

“What?!” She shouted, folding her arms. She hadn’t done so in weeks, but the motions came back to her completely naturally. “He’s a fucking coward who took my arm. If he really cared, he wouldn’t have run off. He’s just afraid of a round two.”

Yuvo put his clipboard down and rubbed his face with both hands. “Listen, he’ll turn up. I get where you’re coming from, I really do.”

“If you really understand, you’d know I can’t let him get away with this.”

Yuvo nodded. “You’re absolutely right. And that’s why we’ll see when he turns up, then we’ll--” Yuvo said, cut short.

“No, no, no, stop. I’ll find him myself.” Allie insisted.

“ _ Alphonsia Inocencio _ .” Yuvo glared, his voice booming. “Listen, I didn’t mean to shout, but I felt it was necessary to get your undivided attention. I know you’ve had a rough time, but you need to pull it together. So please, go home and get some rest. When you feel better, come see me and we’ll work out what to do next. We can find him together, okay?”

Allie’s first reaction was to shout back, but when she thought about what he said, it was hard to argue with him. She wasn’t sure what she’d even say if she screamed. She felt a little intimidated by his sudden shouting--he was never the type to shout at all. It became clear to her that she wouldn’t be able to convince him, and he couldn’t convince her of anything either. 

“Alright. Sorry.”

Yuvo’s posture loosened as his entire body relaxed. “It’s alright. I’m sorry for shouting. I’ll have Salva and Skapa escort you out.”

“Thank you.”

Yuvo excused himself and left Allie alone once more. Before long, Salva and Skapa entered, cleaning up her room and helping her collect all of her belongings. They also handed her a set of ‘fresh’ clothes to change into, since they had ruined her last outfit. Allie glanced at the clothes, seeing a tee shirt that was clearly two sizes too big, a  _ plaid  _ bra (Allie wondered why they even made these), men’s boxers, and sweatpants. She stepped into the bathroom to change into them, realizing she looked like a college student rolling out of bed late for class. 

Then again, she was certainly no stranger to showing up to class in her pajamas. 

Allie grabbed her plague doctor mask, the fox mask, and the tattered remains of her hoodie. At least she could use it as a makeshift blanket, she thought. 

“Is that everything?” Skapa asked.

Allie nodded. “I wanna go home. If I forgot anything, I’ll just pick it up later when I’m on shift.”

Feeling liberated, Allie walked out of her room and down the hallway. She turned a couple of heads--most likely due to her new prosthetic. She’ll admit, it made her feel a bit more powerful. Her prosthetic wouldn’t increase her punching power or anything, but she couldn’t imagine it would feel good to get hit by  _ that _ . 

Reaching the reception desk, Allie began signing paperwork to process her discharge. It was agonizing, she thought. She knew why each form was necessary, but  _ come on _ . 

One mountain of papers later, Allie was free. The midday breeze kissed her fur as she stepped into the light. Her eyes unfocused, causing her to wince. Once she regained her sight, she took a long, deep breath. The feeling of pure, fresh air filled her lungs, refreshing her entire body. 

Feeling whole once more, she knew where she needed to go. Her feet carried her along without even thinking, as if drawn by fate. The route was so familiar, she could walk there in her sleep. Down the road, across the street, around the corner… It was a natural path for her now. Before long, Allie found herself outside a familiar apartment complex. 

Ascending to the top floor, she walked to room 1014 and knocked on the door with her prosthetic. The sound of metal clanging against hardwood reverberated throughout the hallway. Allie hadn’t thought about how loud her knock would be now that her arm was metallic. 

She could hear footsteps sprinting towards the door. The knob turned hastily and swung open, revealing a disheveled Hayley, her hair let down and frizzy. A toothbrush hung out of her now-agape mouth before falling to the floor. “Allie!” 

“Hey, Hay…” Allie’s words were cut short. Before she knew it, Hayley wrapped her arms around her back and held her close. She could feel Hayley’s heartbeat in her chest pulsing rapidly against hers. 

Allie hugged her back and leaned her head in. She found herself buried among Hayley’s disheveled nest of hair, but she didn’t mind at all. 

“Is that…” Hayley pulled away and poked at the prosthetic arm. “Whoa.”

“Right?” Allie held it up and showed it off, twisting it and turning it every which way. The light reflected off of the carbon fiber-esque texture, glimmering with a futuristic sheen. “I’m still getting used to it, so…”

“Oh, that explains how you dented my door, then.” She said, pointing to the indent.

Allie looked over and gasped. Somehow, she had managed to splinter the hardwood and create a fist-shaped divot in Hayley’s door. 

“Don’t worry about it. Can I see your arm?”

Allie offered her prosthetic to her. She held it out awkwardly, not sure what she should be doing, if anything. 

Hayley reached out and held her arm, her fingers stroking the exterior. She could feel how cool and rigid it felt, likely the carbon fiber texturing. She gave it a quick tap with her knuckle for good measure, listening to it reverberate quietly. “Wow. No wonder you fucked up my door.”

“Sorry about that,” Allie said.

“Oh, don’t worry. Come on in.” Hayley stood up and gestured inside. 

Allie couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, but she let it go for now. She walked inside and shut the door behind her, feeling a sense of relief as she did. For a moment, she thought she was about to walk back into her hospital room. She spent so long in that room that she almost forgot what Hayley’s--or even her own--room looked like. 

Allie made herself comfortable on one of Hayley’s cushioned wooden chairs. She tilted it back and rested it on its hind legs, using her own leg to keep herself balanced. “So, uh, how have you been doing?” 

Hayley stopped by her fridge and pulled out a can of cola before settling into her computer chair. “Oh, I’ve been keeping it easy.” She opened the can with a soft hiss before taking a sip. “Been doing some research, trying not to overexert myself. My sternum is mostly healed, but it’s still best not to excite my heart too much.”

“But you’re drinking soda?”

“Caffeine free.”

“Oh.”

Hayley took a large swig before setting her can down among the others. A respectable pile had gathered near her keyboard and mouse. 

Allie wondered if she had become a dragon over the last few weeks--perhaps this was the start of her horde? 

“I got something to show you. I just found this last night and I nearly spat out my drink,” Hayley said, spinning around to her computer. 

“I’m all ears.” Allie said, rocking back and forth.

Hayley clicked furiously and mashed on her keyboard briefly before pulling up Luchemita’s website. Allie could see a painfully sterile-looking layout with keywords and mottos so self-absorbed it would put a sponge to shame. 

“Hay, I already know they boast about nonsense. ‘Winning tomorrow’ has never  _ not _ sounded cringey.” 

“It’s not that! Trust me, you’ll want to see.” After a few clicks, Hayley began scrolling through a list of photos. Each one was a portrait of what appeared to be employees in full uniform with their name and title as a caption. “Almost…”

Allie fidgeted with her prosthetic, beginning to grow a little impatient. 

“There!” Hayley slid her chair to the side and zoomed in on a familiar photograph. It was a young wolf man with light grey fur and a white muzzle. His piercing red eyes and square frames flooded into Allie’s memories.

“Antonio Spens-Theia. Junior lab assistant?” Allie read aloud. 

“He works at Luchemita! What the fuck, right?” 

“Did he always work there?!” 

“Funny you should ask. I had checked some archives for Luchemita’s company page--his photo was added sometime this year. He definitely wasn’t here until a few months ago at the very earliest,” Hayley mentioned.

Allie glared at his carefree smile. He looked so fucking smug in his white labcoat, as if nothing bad had ever happened to him. The world was all sunshines and rainbows for him, wasn’t it? Allie could feel an uncontrollable rage building inside her and she knew she needed an outlet for it sooner than later. 

“You said he worked at the hospital with you, right? Kind of strange how he jumped to Luchemita instantly, especially if he’s still a med student. Makes me wonder how he got that job there so quickly. Like, did he just apply and get lucky? Was it some kind of lottery…?”

Allie recalled messaging Antonio the night they broke into Luchemita. Something had always bothered her about that night, something she could never quite put her finger on. Then she realized.

She told him when Hayley would be going. 

“Mother _ fucker _ !” Allie slammed her prosthetic against the chair’s arm, splintering it and cracking it in half like a toothpick. “He sold us out!”

“He  _ what _ ?” Hayley gasped.

“I told him when you were going to Luchemita that night. He was waiting for us! He sold us out to Solum! It was a fucking  _ trap _ !” 

“No way…”

Allie pulled out her phone and began messaging Antonio hastily. “I’m gonna kick his ass when I find him. He just needs to answer my fucking messages.”

“He’s been ghosting you this whole time?”

“Of course he’s been. It makes so much sense now! Ugh.”

“Hey, hey, wait. Allie, before you scream at him, we could use him.”

Allie was seething. She looked at her hand and saw splinters stuck between the gaps of her prosthetic. “Use him how?”

“Well, we’re really after Solum here, right? Maybe if we play our cards right, we can get something valuable out of him. If he’s a Luchemita employee, he might know something that Solum doesn’t want  _ us _ knowing.”

“I mean…” Allie trailed off. “He  _ is _ a himbo. Normally, I wouldn’t think that’s such a smart idea, but he’s pretty dim, so…”

“Exactly! At the very least, you can punch him if he refuses to talk,” she joked.

“OK, I’m sold. How should we go about this?” 

Hayley scratched her chin. “Well, you know him better than I do. What did he respond well to? Did he ever mention his likes or interests?”

“Uh, hm. He said he liked dark chocolate, mostly bitter stuff. Also I vaguely recall him attempting to flirt with me?”

Hayley snorted. “Oh, no. Allie, baby, oh no. You gotta set up a date with him. It’s the only way to get him to listen to you.”

Groaning, Allie said, “Please, no. I don’t think I could be pleasant with him after all of this.”

“This is just to get back at Solum. Just bide your time and take it on the chin for now.” 

“I hate this idea so much, but you’re right.” Allie threw her head back and groaned into her prosthetic. The thought of pleasantries with Antonio made her skin crawl and her fur stand on-end. But needs must, as it were. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

Allie pulled out her phone and messaged Antonio.

[20:31] **AlleyAlly** : Hey, Ante?

[20:31] **AlleyAlly** : Kinda feeling lonely

[20:31] **AlleyAlly** : Can we talk?

Silence. And then…

[20:35] **WhiteMage97** : hey hey how r u doin

[20:35] **AlleyAlly** : Full disclosure? Lonely

[20:35] **AlleyAlly** : Can we hang out tomorrow or something?

[20:35] **WhiteMage97** : oh uhhhhh

[20:35] **WhiteMage97** : yea sure!!

[20:35] **WhiteMage97** : coffee or smth tomorrow mornin good?

[20:36] **AlleyAlly** : Sure

[20:36] **AlleyAlly** : Same place as before?

[20:36] **WhiteMage97** : u got it bb

[20:36] **WhiteMage97** : c ya at 9 ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone. Shit's been crazy these last few weeks. I may put this on a brief hiatus to rebuild my buffer chapters. 
> 
> As you can imagine, the current pandemic has been a lot to deal with. I'll keep putting out as much as I can, hopefully it helps distract from the world around you. 
> 
> Stay safe, wash your hands, and stay at home.


	14. The Hornet's Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie goes on a date.

Sticking her head out the window, Allie could feel the gentle chill of an early fall breeze nipping at her snout. She lost track of how much time had passed while she was in the hospital. Summer was clearly on its last legs by this point, which gave her a fun idea. 

Allie reached into her closet and pulled out her black hoodie before slipping it on. She admired how comfy it looked and felt, but she mostly appreciated its ability to cover up her prosthetic. Her arm blended into the pitch black fabric effortlessly. If she stuck her hand in the hoodie’s pocket, no one would know about her recent injury. 

Especially not Antonio. 

Allie left her apartment complex and made her way down to the local coffee shop. She was almost giddy with excitement: how would she bring up her prosthetic to him? Should she reach out to shake his hand? Or maybe she could hug him and send a chill down his spine by grabbing at his head? 

She wandered all the way to the coffee shop, opening the door at almost exactly 9:00 as discussed. To her surprise, Antonio was already waiting in line, his arms folded. He seemed to be wearing his typical long gray jacket and jeans, which Allie thought looked a little ragged. After all, someone making Luchemita-level money should be able to afford a decent pair of jeans, right? Or maybe he was just an unpaid intern, despite his title?

Allie walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder with her good hand. Her other hand remained hidden in the hoodie’s pocket. “Hey.”

Antonio spun around, startled. “Oh! Hey, you. Glad you could make it.” 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, folding both arms into her pocket. “How’s things been with you?”

Antonio scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Oh, uh, you know. They’ve been going.” His voice wavered as he spoke.

Allie nodded. “That’s good. Life been treating you well? Friends and family doing okay?”

“Yeah, they’re doing alright. Been pitching in however I can, you know?”

She nodded again. “Of course. It’s the right thing to do, helping people.”

Antonio turned around and walked forward, approaching the counter. Allie wondered if he suddenly felt ashamed about what she had said. Did he feel guilty about something? How much did he--or didn’t he--know?

Allie walked forward and watched Antonio order his usual coffee. Bitter and black, just the way he liked it apparently. Allie ordered her dessert-for-breakfast mocha cappuccino, feeling compelled to indulge. With their coffees in hand, they both made their way to the nearest table and sat across from each other. 

Antonio leaned forward and took a casual sip of his drink. “What’ve you been up to, Allie? I heard you were lonely.”

“Oh, I was a little lonely, last night especially. Work’s been such a drag, plus I haven’t seen you much lately, so I wanted to catch up. You were always so sweet to talk to.”

Antonio blushed. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, really!” Allie took a sip of her coffee. “I like working with you and hanging out. We really should do this more often.”

“Heh. Thank you, and I agree.” He took a quick sip before asking, “Am I helping you feel any better?”

“Oh, plenty. Just being here is doing  _ wonders _ for my mood,” she said, wondering if she was laying it on a bit thick.

“I never took you for one super interested in the dating scene. You seem more married to your work than anything,” Antonio commented.

Allie giggled. “I get that a lot. I’m trying to keep a healthier work-life balance.”

Antonio leaned in closer, brushing away his hair with his hand in a vague attempt to look cool. Allie almost wanted to wretch seeing him try and look suave, but she had to hold it together. “We all need a healthier work-life balance. Life was meant for fun, not for working. It sucks that we have to work so hard to get by.”

Allie narrowed her eyes. Was he serious? “Yeah. Life sucks, then you die.”

“I hate that line of thinking. I don’t want life to suck, I want to  _ enjoy  _ life. Seems like there isn’t really much option left except to work yourself to the bone,” Antonio sighed wistfully. 

What did  _ he _ know about struggle? Allie could feel her blood pressure rising, but took some deep breaths to quell her rage.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so deep,” he said, almost sensing her discomfort at the topic.

“Oh, it’s fine. I just want to have fun too, you know? Hah.”

Antonio frowned. “I mean, don’t get me wrong--work  _ is _ necessary. But when it gets excessive, when it drills into your skull, when it becomes all you can think about,  _ that’s _ when it becomes a problem.” 

Allie took a swig of her drink, nodding along.

“I mean, you probably know this better than me, but you’ve had to work hard to get to where you are. I’ve had to as well, but, well, you know…”

“Know what?” she asked.

Antonio sighed. He grabbed the sleeve of his jacket and showed off the hastily patched stitches on the underside. “I’m not exactly the smartest guy around. I barely even got into medical school in the first place, let alone get to work anywhere  _ near _ a hospital. I sometimes feel like I’m going to drown before I float in this sea of stress.”

“So you’re saying work and school are stressing you out bad?”

“I mean, if you wanted to break it down to the bare essentials, I guess?”

Allie put her drink down. “So why medical school then? If you don’t think it’s for you, why do you keep going?”

“Same reason as most people. Money. Makes the world go ‘round,” he admitted with a sheepish smile.

Allie sighed on the outside, but screamed on the inside. There was something about his choice of words and how he grinned that just infuriated her. She must have been sweating, because Antonio began to stare at her brow full of sweat.

“That hoodie looks a little heavy. Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“You know what? Maybe I should roll up my sleeves.”

And Allie did just that. With her left hand, she reached across to her right wrist and pulled the sleeve up to her elbow. She glanced at him, knowing her prosthetic hand was exposed. However, he didn’t seem to register this fact immediately. He just stared her in the eyes, paying no attention to her hand.

She rolled up her other sleeve, exposing the entire length of her prosthetic, all the way up to the elbow. “Much better!” she said, cracking her knuckles. 

Antonio’s eyes widened. They fixated on her prosthetic and refused to let go. A single bead of sweat formed on his brow, which he quickly wiped away with his hand. “That’s, uh…”

“Hm?” she asked, playfully. “Something wrong?”

“Is that for a, uh, costume or something?” he stammered.

Allie glanced at her prosthetic, as if she hadn’t realized she had one. “Oh! You mean this?” With her other hand, she pried the prosthetic off and detached it from her elbow entirely. 

Antonio, in his shocked stupor, clenched his coffee cup so hard it burst, spurting hot liquid all over his hand. He screamed and screeched back in his chair, nearly falling over backwards in the process. 

Allie feigned shock. “Oh, are you alright?” 

“What the  _ fuck _ , Allie?!” he shouted. “What the  _ fuck _ ?!” Antonio’s voice drew a crowd of confused-yet-intrigued glances. 

Allie rested her prosthetic on the table between them and sipped her coffee. “I don’t get what the big deal is--I feel all right.”

Antonio groaned so loudly that Allie thought his soul tried to escape his body. He grasped at his burned hand and clumsily tried to wipe it with a napkin, but was unable to take his eyes off of the prosthetic. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he cried.

“Well, you probably noticed that I’m missing an arm, so that’s a good place to start.”

“Yeah, I get that part,” he hissed. “How the…  _ When  _ the…”

“I’ll be asking the questions around here, okay?” Allie placed her coffee cup in her prosthetic’s grasp. She then grabbed it by the end and lifted the drink up to take sips in the most extra way she could imagine. “How long have you been working at Luchemita, you little rat?”

“I’m a wolf, not a rat!” he protested.

Allie put her arm down. “I’ll be the judge of that. Spill it, Ante.”

“Okay, okay. Jeez,” he whined. “Do you remember when you asked me to help look into the whole pyroma thing? And I went to go talk to Tract?”

Hearing the name ‘Tract’ made Allie want to vomit. As much as she detested Antonio, she absolutely  _ despised _ Tract. She calmed herself down by remembering that Tract would be next, once she found out where he went. Right now, she had to focus on the bastard before her. “Let me guess: he offered you something nice in return for shutting me up?”

“H-how’d you know?”

“I mean, no offense, but you weren’t gonna make it long in med school. You always seemed like the type to take the easy way out and get other people to do your work for you.”

Antonio gasped. “I take offense to that.”

“And I take offense to selling me out to the guy who ripped my fucking arm off my body.”

“I didn’t--wait. Tract did  _ that _ to you?” 

Allie sighed, staring down at her prosthetic before her. “Yeah. I’m gonna get back at him for this, but I gotta deal with you first.”

“D-deal with me? Are you gonna kill me?” Antonio’s tail drooped.

“No. I’m just gonna…” Allie grabbed her prosthetic and opened the palm, then slapped him across the face. The clap of Antonio’s cheeks resonated throughout the entire cafe, giving Allie a brief feeling of accomplishment. 

Grabbing his cheek, Antonio grumbled, “That hurt.”

“No shit,” she said, putting her prosthetic back on. “Now that we’ve got all that out of our systems, tell me where Tract went. Or Solum. I’ll take either.”

“B-before I do, I just wanted to say I never intended for any of this to happen, Allie. How the fuck was I supposed to know Tract would rip your arm off? I couldn’t have known any of that! I just… I just thought he’d tell you to shut up or bribe you or something!”

“Well, unlike  _ some _ people, I have morals. Even if he did try to bribe me, I wouldn’t take it. Money makes the world go ‘round, but I like to think there are more important things than that.”

“I agree!” Antonio blurted. “But you need money to do anything!”

“Yeah, that’s why you sided with the corporation that killed a patient and horribly maimed at least two others--my friend included, right? Because you needed money.”

“That’s not what I said!”

“Sure sounded like it. Care to illuminate me, then?” Allie folded her arms and leaned back.

Antonio’s sweat was visible on his brow. “I, uh, I don’t really know how to talk about this without sounding really selfish. Basically, I grew up really poor. I learned real quick that you need money to do anything: eat, drink, sleep,  _ exist _ . Poor mom, working so hard to keep me and my sister afloat.”

“And how does this fit in to selling your friend out?”

“I’m getting there!” he said. “The only time I ever recall being happy were when we had money. We could afford some really nice food, or go to the movies, that kind of thing. But I had trouble in school, you see. I couldn’t exactly fail out of school, not when we’ve sunk so much money into it, so… I had to cheat. A lot. I cheated my way through school, on my exams, and I kept doing that until I got here. Even outside of school, I’d do anything to get an edge on people. It’s what worked best for me.”

Allie stared blankly at him. Did she actually expect him to have a good excuse? Of course not. But still, she couldn’t help but feel a  _ little _ bad for him. “As much as that sucks for you, growing up, I’m having a hard time imagining you as this, like, master tactician who can manipulate people. You just sound like a cheater who’s finally gotten caught.”

“Caught? Yeah. Do I really regret it that much? Only what it did to you and your friend. But even still, Luchemita pays me better than the hospital did. Plus, they like having me around.”

Of course he’d fit in. From Allie’s experience, everyone at Luchemita is a lying bastard. “Glad to know that you’d do it all again if it meant you got a pay raise.”

“It’s not  _ that _ simple,” he complained. “I don’t like to do this, not at all. I do it out of necessity.”

“For your family?”

“I send them whatever I can afford to spare. I try to live as frugal a life I can. I’ve had this jacket ever since I was ten years old.” 

“What if someone else offered you something better? Would you fuck over Luchemita for it?”

“Truthfully speaking? Yes, absolutely.”

Allie rolled her eyes. “So, what would it take for you to join my side and go after Tract and Solum?”

“A hefty salary, health insurance, maybe some kisses every now and then.” 

“Ugh, forget it. A salary and insurance would be fine, but kissing is a bridge too far.”

“Oh, come  _ on _ .” 

Allie resisted the urge to get up and leave. As much as she wanted to be rid of him, she still needed  _ something _ from him. Slapping him  _ did _ feel good, but it didn’t bring her any closer to exacting revenge. “Tell me where Solum or Tract went. I need to get back at them.”

“What’s in it for me if I tell you?” he smirked.

“I’ll go on another date with you,” she sighed.

“And…?” 

“And I won’t slap you with my prosthetic.” 

“Sounds like a deal to me.” 

Allie had no intention of following up with him after this. While he  _ was _ easy on the eyes, his willingness to betray anyone at will wasn’t exactly ideal boyfriend material. She had  _ standards _ , dammit. The day she sank far enough to consider Antonio a viable option would be the day she gives up on romance entirely. “So where can I find ‘em? I don’t want to try ambushing them at Luchemita, especially not with how the last attempt went.”

“Well, I actually haven’t seen Solum or Tract in weeks. Not long after you and your friend pulled that little fuck-up or a heist, they kinda just… disappeared,” he explained.

“Disappeared how?”

“I didn’t get to see Solum much. I started at Luchemita just after he vanished, saying he needed some time to ‘process his findings,’ or whatever. He seemed pretty happy, though. I have no idea where he went.”

“And what about Tract?” she asked.

“Oh, he’s been off work for a while. I haven’t seen him in the office much either. From what I heard, he didn’t do very much there aside from acting as Solum’s mole at Astuva Hospital.”

“His  _ mole _ ?” 

“I mean, it sounds a lot worse than it actually is. Tract really believes in Solum, so when he started preaching his ideas to him, he was more than willing to help however he could.”

“So when Solum’s research started creating pyromas, Tract tried to keep it under wraps as much as he could?” she asked.

“Well, not exactly. He was more interested in getting as much information about it as he could. If the whole pyroma thing blew up and became national news, Tract wanted to know as much about how to treat it as possible. You know, to minimize the damage to Luchemita’s image.”

“Or, more accurately, Solum’s?”

Antonio nodded. “Tract really believes in Solum. The way he spoke about him felt almost spiritual, like he was praising a god or something.”

“As useful as this is to know, this doesn’t tell me where he is.” 

“Oh, right. After Solum left, Tract went back home.”

“And where does he live?” she asked.

“I dunno, somewhere uptown i think? I don’t stalk people for a living, Allie.”

Allie fiddled with her prosthetic. “Think you can get me an address sometime tomorrow? While you’re at work, I mean?”

“I can  _ try _ . I’m just afraid you’re gonna kill him.”

“Oh, no. I’m not  _ killing _ anyone.”

“...Why the emphasis on ‘killing’?” 

“He’ll still be breathing, that’s the bottom line.”

Antonio stared in shocked silence. “I mean, Tract got me my big break at Luchemita. I know he fucked up your arm, but I don’t have any personal beef with the guy. It feels wrong--siccing a hellbent one-armed witch after a guy who’s defending his livelihood.”

Allie glared daggers at him. She began to unscrew her prosthetic’s latch around her elbow. 

“Whoa, whoa, hold on.  _ Please _ no more robot bitch-slapping. I’ll find out where he lives and message you as soon as I do. Okay?”

Allie tightened her prosthetic and smiled. “I’m glad you could see things my way. I look forward to our date when this is all said and done.”

Antonio's tail drooped as he covered his mouth. “Y-yeah.” 

The look on his face was difficult to describe, she thought. Was he scared of her? Intimidated by her?  _ Interested _ in her? As much as he claimed to be a master manipulator, he was a submissive himbo, through and through. Then again, maybe his stupidity was part of his charm, or even part of how he won anyone’s trust. He looked so harmless, how could he possibly fuck anyone over? 

Allie concluded he’d be useful at arm’s length, no further and no closer. Even still, she couldn’t help but enjoy his company sometimes. Despite his attempts to infuriate her, she liked having him around. While she would never admit to having any sort of feelings for him, romantic or otherwise, she definitely considered the possibility, if only for a moment.

Maybe if she were more desperate, she’d go for him. 

Allie shook her head. This was no time to be thinking about romance! She had revenge to exact! Corporate lies and medical malpractices to expose! The thought of confronting Tract made her heart race. How would she approach him? What would she say, if anything? 

For now, Allie decided to return home and wait for Antonio’s briefing. Tract’s comeuppance was now inevitable. All she had to do was wait.


	15. Self-Defense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie makes a house call.

Allie sat on the last train to Pruna, legs folded over each other, her snout buried in her phone. Her hoodie was her only comfort as she scrolled through her messages. She read the address Antonio had sent her over and over again in a pointless attempt to commit it to memory. The more she stared at his text, the more she wondered if she could really go through with this. 

After all, she didn’t even know what she was going to  _ do _ to him yet, if anything. She knew he deserved  _ something _ , but as the time drew nearer, the more she found herself at odds with herself. Every idea she came up with was either too tame or too harsh, whether it was a simple verbal smackdown or breaking his kneecaps with a crowbar. 

She  _ knew _ she had Hayley’s full support, especially considering what had happened last time. There was no room for error this time, so Hayley recommended making additional preparations. Allie had suggested she bring a canister of pepper spray or something of that nature. Hayley had suggested a taser.

Allie’s idea of ‘self-defense’ was evidently not the same as Hayley’s, as it turned out. 

When pressed, Hayley had shrugged and said that ‘tasers are cool’, as if that was all the explanation she needed. In the end, Allie settled on a concealed pepper spray bottle. She had removed one of the fingers on her prosthetic and replaced it with the slender bottle and painted it black to match the rest of her hand, giving her quick and easy access while also remaining inconspicuous. 

As she stared at her hand—or lack thereof—she realized just how much Tract needed to pay for what he did. Clenching her fist, Allie vowed to make him regret taking her arm. 

A metallic voice screeched through the speakers.  _ This is the train to: Pruna. Estimated time of arrival is: 18:30. Thank you for choosing Abel Railways for your voyage, and have a pleasant trip _ . 

Allie checked her phone. She’d arrive in Pruna in about ten minutes, so she decided to zone out and try and get a little rest. Setting an alarm on her phone, she closed her eyes and meditated. 

*************************************************************************************************************

In the blink of an eye, the same metallic voice echoed throughout the car.  _ Now arriving at: Pruna. Please gather all of your belongings and have a pleasant departure. _

Allie stirred and opened her eyes. Staggering to her feet, she grabbed the pole for leverage and stretched her body. Her ears wriggled and her tail swished side-to-side. Only now did she realize she was completely alone on the train, at least as far as she could tell. She had never been to Pruna, but surely  _ somebody _ would be going there, right? Was Pruna some kind of shithole? Maybe it was where all of the evil assholes went off to live, she thought? 

The train slowed to a crawl then stopped at the station. The doors whirred open and a cold rush of wind blew inside, freezing Allie’s fur. The familiar sensation of a sudden chill on her body made her tense up, but she calmed herself. After gathering her strength, Allie disembarked the train and descended the stairs.

She soon found herself in a sort of semi-suburb semi-urban neighborhood. After all, Pruna was just outside of Astuva City. The houses weren’t quite big enough nor spaced out enough to be considered a suburb, but they also weren’t quite city houses either. There were no apartment complexes, no deluge of pedestrians on the sidewalk, no angry honking cars, nothing. This was about as suburban as you could get while also having a reasonable commute to Astuva, Allie thought. 

Antonio’s message included not only Tract’s address, but also what his house looked like. His house was on the corner of Willow and Maple, which was just down the road. 

Her feet suddenly felt like cinder blocks. Every step felt like a hundred meter dash on its own, causing her heart to race and her palm to sweat. Why did she feel nervous  _ now _ ? Was the reality of the situation setting in? Could she really go through with this? Breaking into Tract’s house, interrogating him, and possibly fighting him?

Another breeze chilled her snout. It froze her entire body to the core, despite wearing her hoodie. No matter how many times she felt that chill, she would always remember the pain she felt. 

And Tract should feel the same. 

Allie approached the corner of Willow and Maple. As expected, the house looked exactly like the one on her phone: medium sized, rectangle, and built with weather-faded bricks. From what she could see, there were two doors: one at the front, and one towards the back. There were no fences, so entering through either way would be easy enough, assuming they weren’t locked. 

The house was two floors tall and had a single tree in the yard. She traced the length of the tree upward and across one of the sturdier-looking branches. Amusingly, she found a window that was cracked open, right at the end of the branch. If the doors were locked, she could potentially climb in through there. 

Allie looked at the driveway and saw two cars, neither of which were familiar to her. One of them could have been Tract’s, but then who owned the other? Did he have a family? Was someone living here with him? Or maybe he just really liked cars? 

Allie walked closer and saw a light on the first floor. Approaching cautiously, she crouched down and made her way towards the front window. With her ears tucked into her hoodie, she peeked up into the window and saw Tract sitting at a table, talking to someone. His guest appeared to be an older male, but she wasn’t able to discern more. 

Entering from the front or back doors would be risky, so Allie decided to try climbing the tree and into the second floor. Standing at the base, she gazed skyward and felt a little intimidated. The last time she had climbed a tree, she’d had both arms. Also, she had been barely older than a toddler. And the tree had been more of a sapling. But these little details wouldn’t stop Allie. After all, how hard could it be?

Allie wrapped her arms around the trunk and planted her boots on the roots. She began to shimmy upward slowly, alternating her grip between her hands and her feet. The feeling of wet bark made her shudder in disgust, but she did her best to work past it. As long as she didn’t slip, she’d be fine. 

And hey, maybe having a prosthetic would be helpful! Her grip strength must have been stronger now that it was robotic in nature, right? Unfortunately, reality wasn’t quite so generous, and she found herself slipping more than once. If only she could swap out her palm for a grappling hook, or something. 

Despite everything, she made good progress up the tree. Her hand grasped at the large branch and tightened around it. She grabbed it with both hands and flung herself up onto it. The branch shook in response, but thankfully it held her weight just fine. All she had to do now was walk the most precarious tight rope and slip in through the window. 

Allie grabbed her phone and sent Hayley a quick message that she was infiltrating Tract’s home. For added measure, she slipped on her earpiece, allowing Hayley to hear everything she did. 

Taking a deep breath, Allie slipped on the mask her guardian angel had given her. The eyes lit up a bright crimson as they pierced through the night sky. The inside of the mask felt surprisingly comfortable as it caressed her snout. With the silhouette of a hooded fox, Allie gained the confidence she needed to cross the branch.

She crouch-walked toward the window, taking great care to go as slowly as she could. The closer she got to the window, the more her palm sweat. The branch bounced with each step, starting to feel particularly unstable. 

The window was within reach. Allie grabbed the base and shoved it upward before slipping inside. Now inside, she could feel a gentle warmth enrobe her like a blanket out of a dryer. 

Allie looked around. It was clear she was in Tract’s bedroom: there was a twin bed against the wall in front of her, a dresser on the left, a six-foot mirror on the opposite wall, and a television mounted on the opposite side of the bed. Did Tract live by himself? No family or anything? At the very least, it didn’t look like he had a spouse of any sort, judging by his bed’s size.

The carpeted floor muffled her steps as she crept forward, slowly sneaking toward the open door. She poked her head into the hallway cautiously.

There was nothing of note in the hallway except for a light at the other end. It appeared to have been coming from the floor below, as evidenced by the angle of the shadows and the hand rail against the wall. Gathering her bravery, Allie crept into the hallway. With each step, a distant voice grew louder

She could definitely hear talking coming from downstairs. There was a definite back-and-forth between two older men, but she needed to hear more. Her hand grabbed the railing as she took a quiet step down. The voices became clearer and she could finally listen in.

“ _ You know this isn’t right. Have you seen the other patients that came in with pyromas? _ ”

“ _ I’m well aware, thank you. I appreciate your concern, but you need to understand that we can’t stop now. If we do, all will be for naught--and what does that make us exactly? Failures? Criminals, even? _ ”

Allie chanced a step downstairs, hoping to hear more. 

“ _ It burns a hole in their chest, Tract. A hole. They’re inconsolable when it’s all said and done. What could possibly be worth ruining their lives? _ ” 

“ _ A lot of things. Especially what we’re researching? This could be the biggest breakthrough in affinity studies since, well, affinities! _ ” 

“ _ You know those legends are just that--legends. You can’t play god. _ ”

“ _ How naive. We’ve had centuries to study this, and yet only now do we possess the technology to make this a reality. The theories are sound, Yuvo. _ ” 

Doctor Yuvo? What was  _ he _ doing here, Allie thought?

“ _ I understand! Believe me, I do! I just don’t agree with your methods of going about it. Your hands aren’t exactly clean here. Will you even accept responsibility for your own actions? _ ”

“ _ When the time comes, I will gladly offer myself in reparation. But  _ I _ have not done anything wrong here. _ ”

“ _ What about that… person’s arm you grabbed? _ ” 

“ _ What, you expect me  _ not _ to defend both myself and our research when someone tries to destroy it? Come on. _ ”

“ _ You know, I’m the one who had to deal with your little vigilante justice, Tract. Those surgeries were not a fun time, and I fail to see how anything could be worth all of this. _ ”

“ _ Affinities, Yuvo. Affinities! They’re dying out. There’s so much more we can do if we unlock these secrets. If we can do that, we can change the world! _ ” 

“ _ But you’re forgetting those who’ve been injured--one died, even! Who are you to say who should live and die over your research? _ ” 

“ _ I never wanted anyone hurt or killed by all of this. I’m not a monster, Yuvo. _ ”

There was a brief silence, but to Allie it felt like an hour. 

“ _ I know, Tract. But you and everyone at Luchemita working on this is responsible, one way or another. _ ”

“ _ The work must be done. If it isn’t us, then someone else will. And I can guarantee you they’ll have less ethics than us. _ ”

“ _ That’s a hypothetical situation. I’m talking about reality--here and now. _ ”

“ _ Yuvo, I’ve lost sleep over the potential harm we’ve done. We never intended for our patients to contract pyromas. And besides, if we really wanted to cover it up, we would never have sent the patients to the hospital. _ ”

“ _ I… _ ”

“ _ I know, Yuvo. This burden is quite heavy, but it is mine to bear, as it is Luchemita’s. This is not your battle, and we will need you to keep up your good work at the hospital. _ ”

“ _ Just tell me one thing. _ ” 

“ _ What is it? _ ”

“ _ Will you be experimenting on more people? _ ”

Another brief pause. Then Tract began to laugh. 

“ _ Of course not. The hybrid gave us incredibly valuable information about how affinities are generated in the affinitum. Solum has spent weeks going over the potential consequences--I’ve barely even spoken to him in the last few weeks. _ ”

“ _ Alright. So no more pyromas? _ ”

“ _ No more. _ ”

“ _...Understood. I’ll let this go, Tract. There’s nothing left for me to do, after all. _ ” 

“ _ I appreciate your willingness to talk about all of this. I’m glad you’re seeing everything our way _ .” 

“ _ It’s not so much I agree with what you’ve said, there’s just nothing left to stop. I don’t really believe in sacrificing the few for the needs of the many, but if there’s no more need to sacrifice, then I can’t stop you. The data already exists. _ ” 

“ _ If we lost that data now, all will have been for naught. You understand why I was so protective of our research, yes? _ ”

“ _ I do. _ ” 

“ _ Then I think we’ve discussed everything we need to. All we want is to finish our research and better the world. Nobody else has to get hurt. _ ”

“ _ That makes me feel better, Tract. While I wish nobody got hurt, I just hope it wasn’t for nothing. _ ”

“ _ We’ll make it worth it. Trust us. _ ”

Yuvo sighed. “ _ I’ll trust in your science. _ ” 

“ _ Of course. I trust in our science, too. Science doesn’t have biases. Science simply  _ is _. _ ”

Yuvo shifted around, sliding a chair back. “ _ I have to go. Thank you for your time, Tract. _ ”

“ _ It was my pleasure. Getting this off of my chest is quite a relief, I have to admit. _ ”

Allie could hear Yuvo’s footsteps grow fainter, then the sound of a door opening and shutting. She heard Tract let out a sigh as he shifted around. Taking a quick peek, she lowered her head past the edge of the ceiling and saw Tract cleaning up his table. There were glasses and plates and a pot of tea left in the center. 

Tract turned around, as if drawn to Allie’s presence. She quickly retreated behind the cover of the stairs.  _ Did he see me _ , she thought? Her anxiety got the better of her and she quietly backed up the stairs. 

Allie entered the first room she could, not wanting to remain in the hallway with nowhere to hide. She found herself in his bathroom, small and clean. She climbed into his bathtub and drew the curtains out. Once she was (reasonably) well hidden, she crouched down and took deep breaths to steady her nerves. 

She thought about what Yuvo and Tract had discussed. How they had talked about science, their research, and what it was worth. To Allie, none of that mattered. She was more than a little disappointed that Yuvo was so quick to forgive Tract, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t hold as much of a grudge as she did. And she would make him pay. 

Staring at her prosthetic with the false finger, Allie remembered why she was here. She had a plan, she had backup, and she had a  _ duty _ to see this through. Tract had to pay for all of the misery he put her through. And once that was done, Solum was next. 

The sound of approaching footsteps filled her ears. She could see Tract’s shadow pass by the bathroom door as he walked towards his bedroom. Whatever confidence she had mustered fell to the wayside almost instantly. Her body locked up at the thought of confronting him. 

_ Pull yourself together _ , she thought. She couldn’t afford to keep going back-and-forth on this. She needed to be swift and decisive. There would be plenty of time for dread later. 

Allie stood up and exited the bathroom, approaching Tract’s bedroom silently. Her footsteps were as soft and light. She could see Tract rummaging through the nightstand next to his bed, his back to her. 

As she entered his room, she looked to her side and found a dresser of considerate size. She made a note of it as she closed the door behind her, locking them both inside. 

Tract dug through his drawer for quite some time, blissfully unaware of Allie’s presence in his room. She didn’t mind at all--the longer it took for him to notice, the better for her. The more she could scare him, or even terrify him, the more she would enjoy this.

Allie grabbed the side of his dresser, awaiting the moment he caught her attention. The thought of finally getting revenge filled her with an indescribable glee. Her only regret so far was not doing this sooner.

Tract finally began to turn around. As he did, Allie readied herself and tilted the dresser toward him. There was no going back now.


	16. Burning Rage and Blind Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie awakens her fighting spirit.

Whatever doubts Allie had came crashing down like the dresser falling towards Tract. The heavy sound of wood plummeting toward him finally grabbed his attention. As he turned around, he caught a brief glimpse of his own dresser before it fell on top of him. 

Allie grinned under her mask, taking great joy in watching Tract’s own furniture attack him. Shelves fell out and collapsed onto his chest, knocking him to the floor. His entire lower half was crushed underneath all of his work clothes and outfits. Crushed by his own research, in a way. It would only be more fitting if she buried him in his own notes. 

“What the fuck?!” Tract cried. He grabbed one of the loosened drawers and shoved it aside. As he staggered to his feet, he glanced up and saw the hooded and masked figure in his room. “What the fuck?!” 

“Doctor Tract. We meet again,” Allie said, her voice modulated--shifted downward. She hadn’t expected for her voice to come out distorted--perhaps the mask did that for her? It didn’t matter.

“ _ We _ ? Oh, I remember you.” He pointed weakly at her. “You’re that asshole that tried to tamper with our research a few weeks back, aren’t you?”

“The one and only. I’m here to finish what I started.”

Tract kicked the dresser off of himself and threw aside some disheveled clothes. “Maybe I should finish what  _ I _ started as well.”

“That won’t be necessary. Give up your research. Destroy all of it. Do that, and I’ll spare you.”

“Bullshit. You come into  _ my _ home.” He staggered to his feet. “Sneak into  _ my  _ bedroom.” He readied his fists. “And expect  _ me  _ to just do what you say?” 

“That’s… about right, yeah.”

“Fat chance. You’re leaving in handcuffs.”

Allie’s retort was cut short by Tract’s sucker punch. His fist came dangerously close to her face--well, her mask. She staggered back to avoid the swing, her boots digging into the carpet. Her heart began to race, realizing she had to fight back. 

Desperately, Allie swung back, attempting to punch Tract in the ribs. Her fist connected, her knuckles dug into his shirt, but he simply kicked her in the stomach in retaliation. Feeling the wind knocked out of her, she flew backward, nearly stumbling over an overturned drawer. 

“Not much for fighting, are you?” he taunted.

“You throw a harder punch than a middle-aged doctor has any right to,” she commented.

“Cute.” He dashed forward, closing the distance rapidly. 

Allie could feel the wind displacing in front of her, as if the wind itself carried him closer, faster. She braced for impact by crossing her arms, her prosthetic on the outside. However, Tract adjusted his trajectory at the last second. He instead punched her in the stomach, then uppercutted her jaw, finishing with a blow to her now-exposed chest.

Allie reeled back, feeling each impact hit her hard. She gasped for air as she hit the wall behind her. Without even feeling for it, she knew she’d been bruised. She rubbed her jaw through her mask as he tongue checked for all of her teeth. He could really throw a punch, she thought. Losing a couple of teeth wasn’t out of the question.

“This is ridiculous,” Tract grumbled. “Can’t even fight.” As soon as the words left his lips, he charged forward once more.

However, Allie saw this coming. She dodged to the left, sidestepping his tackle. She watched him sail into the wall, hitting his shoulder and forehead with an audible thud. To capitalize on the opportunity, she dashed forward and kicked Tract as hard as she could in the stomach, knocking him onto his side. 

Clutching his stomach, Tract spat on the floor. “Fucker. I should have your head for the trouble you’ve caused us.”

Allie kicked him in the stomach, her boot digging into his soft flesh. He let out an audible groan as the wind was forcibly knocked out of him. She kicked him again, surprised at how much it felt  _ good _ . A wry grin cracked through her otherwise serious face, then a small chuckle. “Then get up and take it yourself,” she joked.

Tract kicked Allie back and stumbled to his feet, wheezing. “I’ve had enough of you and your antics.” He grabbed Allie’s left arm, clutching it tightly. He yanked her towards him, getting uncomfortably close. 

She swore she could feel his breath on her face, despite the mask. Her arm began to grow cooler by the second. Her hoodie fabric hardened and froze solid, cracking from the sudden shift in temperature. Allie stood her ground, proud and firm, staring down Tract’s cocky attitude. 

“You’re not screaming? I recall the last time you were… more delicate.” 

The hoodie sleeve shattered into pieces, revealing Allie’s prosthetic. The black carbon fiber blended was utterly unaffected by Tract’s affinity. Clenching her fist, Allie grinned, “Guess I’ve got the upper hand now, huh?

Tract gripped tighter, his fingers digging uselessly into her ‘arm’. “You…”

Allie clicked the button on her elbow, detaching her prosthetic. Now free from his grasp, she swung at him with her free hand, sucker punching him in the jaw as hard as she could. She swore she saw sweat fly off his forehead from the impact as his body collapsed to the floor like a discarded puppet. 

Tract lay on the ground, breathing but unmoving. Allie felt confident enough to snatch her prosthetic back from his limp grasp. She fixed it back into place and wiggled her fingers around. She let out a sigh of relief, glad to have won this battle.

However, her victory was short lived. She felt a grasp on her ankle. Tract glared up at her, glaring at her, “You idiot. You lost your arm, now you’re gonna lose your leg.” He paused to wheeze. “You made the same mistake twice!”

Allie struggled to break free of his grasp. Her anxiety and dread built up in her chest, making her feel as though she were drowning. The all-too-familiar chill began creeping up ankle and through her fur. 

However, in a brief moment of clarity, Allie reached for her prosthetic. Her hand clasped the false finger and grabbed the pepper spray bottle. Aiming downward, she sprayed Tract’s face mercilessly, emptying the contents into his eyes.

His grasp loosened, allowing her to break free. She stumbled back and fell down. On the floor, she grabbed her leg and examined the damage: no scarring, no blackened fur or flesh, just cold and tough fur and some pink skin underneath. A sigh escaped her lips.

Tract clutched his face with both hands, his palms digging into his eyes. They were teary and red like exposed flesh. The burning pain he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced; nothing had ever come as close as the horrible, debilitating agony he felt in this moment. 

Allie got back on her feet and towered over Tract, who was still writhing in pain on the floor. “Burns, doesn’t it?” she asked, her voice still anonymized. 

“Fuck you!” he cried, his tears mixing with residual pepper spray. 

Allie pressed the sole of her boot into his chest. “Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Where’s Solum?”

“Nnh,” he grunted. The pain refused to subside. “My fucking  _ eyes _ burn!”

“You want some milk or something? Tell me where Solum is first.”

“You’re fucking crazy, you know that?! Gods…”

Allie pressed her foot harder into his chest. “Talk.”

“He… he said he needed time. Said he was doing some research. Got the data he wanted from that hybrid, had to compile it,” he explained.

“Keep going,” she said, taking her foot off of him.

Tract wheezed. One hand clutched his eyes while the other clutched his chest. “I don’t know exactly where he went. He might be at home, but I wouldn’t fucking know where that is.”

Allie crouched down and leaned closer to him. “That’s not very helpful, Tract. Tell me how I can find him.”

“I don’t know! How would I know where to find him?!”

Allie sighed. She resisted the urge to punch him in the jaw. “Where in your office can I find his address? Surely you document that somewhere.”

Tract sputtered, coughing loud and hoarse. “Everything’s digital. You’d have trouble finding,” he paused to cough, “finding his address. But search his computer. Keeps his password on a post-it note. He’s probably ordered stuff to his house before.”

“I see.” Allie stood back up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing a glass and filling it with cold water. She returned and emptied it onto his face in one go. “You’re welcome.”

Tract felt the sudden chill of freezing water run down his hands and past his cheeks onto the carpet below. He flipped himself over and desperately rubbed his face against the dampened carpet. “You… you’re ruthless. We never did anything like this on purpose. You…”

“We are not the same. You have blood on your hands.”

“You will,” Tract said, his eyes still stinging. “You’re on your way.”

“N-no. I’m not.” Allie’s voice wavered.

“Get the fuck out of here,” he grumbled. “Before I actually call the cops.”

After a moment of hesitation, Allie excused herself. She dashed down the hallway, down the stairs, and out through Tract’s front door, locking it behind her. 

Now in the open, she took off her mask and lowered her hood, allowing herself to breathe freely. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hayley as fast as she could, her hands trembling. 

“Hayley? You catch any of that?” she asked. 

“ _ Yeah. I did. _ ”

“So, uh…” Allie’s voice hitched as she walked. “What do you think?”

“ _ I didn’t get to see any of it, but it sounds like you really roughed him up. _ ”

“I did,” she admitted.

“ _ Do you feel any better, at least? _ ”

She couldn’t answer. It felt so right in the moment, it felt so natural. How did she feel now? “I don’t know.”

“ _ Hey, are you okay?" _

“I mean, I just assaulted him. I know he’s an asshole, and definitely the bad guy here, but…”

Hayley was quiet.

“It just… I don’t know. Maybe he had a point where I was a monster?”

“ _ Do you want my honest opinion? _ ”

“Yes. Please.”

“ _ I think you went too hard on him. I had no idea you were going to kick his ass like that. I thought you would just threaten him, and maybe spray him. _ ”

“Wasn’t it your idea to break his kneecaps?”

“ _ I mean… that was mostly a joke, but… I don’t think I could have ever imagined you going through with anything like that. It’s one thing to think about it, but actually  _ doing _ it? You really went apeshit on him. _ ”

“...Yeah.”

“ _ I wouldn’t beat yourself up over it. You’re still recovering from your injury, and the scars are fresh. I get it. _ ”

Allie wandered the neighborhood aimlessly, not realizing she was already lost. “I feel terrible right now, Hayley. Like, really bad.”

“ _ I asked if you wanted my honest opinion. I’m being honest. _ ”

“I appreciate that, but… I don’t know. I think I need some time.”

Hayley sighed. “ _ Okay. I don’t think you’re a monster, Allie. I think you’re overwhelmed, scared, and hurt. He’s complicit in research that killed one patient and maimed others. A little bit of roughing up isn’t that unreasonable. _ ”

“But  _ I’m _ the one who did it. It feels so much worse knowing that I’m capable of that. How easy it was for me to do that. How  _ good _ it felt, in the moment.”

“ _ Allie… _ ”

“I’ll talk to you later. I need to go home and… I don’t know.”

“ _ Take care of yourself, okay? _ ”

“...Okay. I’ll be okay.”

Allie hung up and stared at the neighborhood around her. It was a calm evening, but the streets were eerily empty. She had been the only one walking around, despite the relatively nice weather. Even if it was after sunset, she expected someone else to be around. Then again, who would want to be around her now? She hated what she was capable of, and wondered if she radiated negative energy as a result.

There was no rush to get back home, so Allie simply walked around the block, thoughts swirling in her mind. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Hayley took her headphones off as she stared blankly at her monitor. She had no idea what to do now, especially after what Allie told her. What  _ could _ she do? 

She recalled Allie asking how to find Solum. Of course, it would be easier said than done to just waltz into Luchemita’s office once more and find that out. But still, perhaps there was someone who could help with that?

She pulled up her messenger program and scrolled through her list until she found exactly who she wanted.

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : hey anteater

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : need ur help with somethin

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : chop chop its urgent girl helpin business

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : girl helping business? say no more!

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : omg ur so fuckin predictable

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : feel like the fuckin weatherwoman 

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : but for like

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : himbos

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : anyway i got something i need ur help with and ur gonna help

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : normally id say no but since i kinda walked u right into solums lair so to speak

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : and then he gave you a pyroma

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : im feeling somewhat compelled to help, lest you break my kneecaps

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : im not breakin anyones kneecaps 

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : unless u say no

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : how can i say no? 

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : tell me whatcha need

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : walk me into solums lair 

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : wait what 

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : you want to go BACK to luchemita?

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : unless u know where solum lives yea

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : gonna fuck up his research and maybe rub it in his face a bit 

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : hes a capital b Bastard

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : ugh

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : this isnt going to be easy

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : it is cause ur gonna walk me in there with u and ill do what i gotta do 

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : u escort me in

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : got it? 

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : normally id ask whats in it for me but

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : your kneecaps

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : i know th--yeah

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : i like being able to walk and stuff

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : long walks on the beach

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : what kinda man would i be if i couldnt carry my girl bridal style??

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : i dont have an emoji powerful enough to represent my disgust rn 

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : harsh

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : but fair

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : when do you wanna do this?

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : now, preferably

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : allie needs some time to herself

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : might as well get some shit done while she sorts herself out 

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : ya dig?

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : thats kinda soon but

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : i dont have any choice in the matter

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : theyll find it weird im going into the office this late at night

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : im normally a 9-5 guy, not one of those techs or actual researchers

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : who stay late and show up at the butt crack of dawn

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : but fine ill be there soon

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : nice

[21:22] **PhantomEyes** : thx

[21:22] **WhiteMage97** : catch ya later

Hayley locked her computer and grabbed her jacket. It was going to be a long night. 


	17. Birth of a Hornet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hayley and Antonio go on a "date."

Late at night, Hayley stood outside of Luchemita’s office, her hood wrapped over her head, obscuring her from the world around her. She still felt chills getting anywhere near the office, even though she would be entering legally this time. The memories were stronger than her rationality. 

Antonio showed up later than agreed, but she expected as much. Someone as flaky as him would never be prompt unless truly, absolutely necessary; even then, it wasn’t guaranteed. He walked casually toward her, hands in his jacket’s pockets. “Heya!” he said, chipper as ever.

Hayley was hesitant to return the gesture. As much as she talked shit on the internet, actually seeing him face-to-face made her cold. “Let’s get this over with,” she sighed.

“Okay…” he said, feeling threatened. He swiped his card and opened the front door, allowing Hayley to enter first. 

She didn’t appreciate the gesture, but she did appreciate not standing in the biting cold. She could feel the warmth of the heaters welcoming her in--something she  _ definitely _ appreciated. 

Antonio continued his merry jaunt past the reception desk, motioning for Hayley to follow. The way he walked was so deliberate but so unfitting for someone as sleazy and scatter-brained as him. At least, that’s what Hayley thought. She realized she didn’t know him all that well, and maybe this joint venture would give her some insight. 

Hayley slipped her hands into her pockets, trying not to make eye contact with any of the employees. The last thing she wanted was to be recognized. 

“Antonio?” a voice called out from behind. “What are you doing in the office? It’s the weekend.”

He stopped for a moment before turning around. He walked up to the reception counter and leaned on it casually. “Oh, I forgot my headphones at my desk. You know how it is, heh.”

Hayley worked up the courage to steal a glance. She could see the receptionist--a tall bird lady with glittering iridescent feathers that practically glowed a deep violet. It was definitely not the same one from when she came last time, thankfully. 

“Who’s that with you, then?” she asked.

Antonio, without missing a beat, grabbed Hayley by the arm and pulled her in close. “She’s my girlfriend!” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Hayley wanted to scream, but… “O-oh! Yeah. I wanted to see where he worked.”

The receptionist stared at them, unconvinced. “Uh huh. Well, have fun you two, I guess.” 

“Thank you!” Hayley breathed her heaviest sigh of relief as she dragged Antonio away. She clutched his wrist tightly, wanting to be  _ absolutely certain _ he came with her.

“Am I that bad?” he asked. “Of a boyfriend, I mean.”

“I would give up guys entirely if it meant I never had to look at you again.”

“Oof.”

“Just… just take me to Solum’s office. As quickly as possible.”

Antonio pulled his arm away, freeing himself. Running a hand through the fur on his head, he said, “This way.”

He gestured toward an elevator down the hallway and to the right. Hayley recognized it--it was the one that Solum and his goons had dragged her through. The sight made her want to tense up, but she resisted the temptation.

Antonio walked forward and called the elevator. The doors opened, then a soft and pleasant chime rang in the cabin. “After you,” he said.

Hayley walked stiffly into the elevator, as though she were a remote-controlled robot. Her best attempts at hiding her anxiety were hardly doing her any favors. The worst part was that she was well aware of how bad she was at doing so. 

The doors closed and the elevator descended. Hayley watched the numbers tick downward, reminding her just how far away she was from escape. At least this time, she had come prepared. Antonio was her only ticket out of here; he wouldn’t flake out on her now.

The door opened once more, revealing the affinity studies floor. Antonio took the lead and grabbed Hayley’s hand. Surprisingly, she didn’t resist. While his hand was far from her first choice, it was her only one. It made her feel calmer, somehow. 

Antonio stopped in front of a familiar door, swiping his key card on a panel next to the knob. The door chimed and slid open automatically, granting them full access. “After you,” he said once more.

Hayley scoped out Solum’s office. It still resembled a break room, much to her surprise. She recalled hearing about it from what Allie described, but it was strange to her. How could a madman like him have an office that was so… unruly? 

She saw his desk in the corner, covered in papers and garbage. Food wrappers, water bottles, and books littered his desk haphazardly. At the very least, nothing reeked of rotting food or expired garbage.

“Gonna check out his computer?” Antonio asked, pointing toward his desktop. 

“...Yeah. Let me just…” Hayley walked over to Solum’s chair, noticing a large stack of books on it. She picked them up and moved them over, but a couple of the titles caught her eyes:  _ Affinities and You; History of the World: The Legendary Gemstones;  _ and  _ What Comes Next? A Study on the Future of Affinities _ . 

“Yeesh. Sounds like he’s really well-read, huh? All of this about affinities and whatever?” he commented. 

Hayley couldn’t help but stare at some of the books. The titles intrigued her, wondering just what knowledge they could contain. Maybe Solum  _ could _ figure out how affinites worked, she thought? If he could do that, then maybe he could...

She stopped thinking about that. Instead, she dropped the books on the floor and got to work, cracking her knuckles. She booted up his computer and reached his login screen, trying her best to distract herself. Noting his operating system, she pulled out her phone and began looking for typical exploits, or…

Or what? Her mind blanked, as if she forgot the words to a song. She knew  _ vaguely _ how the rhythm went, but the lyrics were completely gone. She’d done this a number of times, so why was she having difficulty even thinking straight now? 

“Are you okay?” Antonio asked, a look of concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, regaining her composure. She dug through her notes, but unfortunately, his operating system was rather up-to-date. At least, that’s what she could tell.

When her fingers hit the keys, they felt sluggish. Her mind grew hazy at the  _ thought _ of hacking his computer. She didn’t understand. It didn’t make any sense! She did this so much! How could she be having  _ any _ trouble now? Sure, his computer is a bit more secure than others, but she was Hayley  _ fucking _ Byrde!

Sweat beaded down her cheek. At least, she  _ thought _ she was sweating. She had actually started to cry, feeling helpless and useless. How could she put into words what she was feeling? How could she ever describe it?

The feeling of pride over being a hacker--and a damn good one at that--never left her. Now she realized just how vulnerable she felt. If she didn’t have this going for her, what  _ did _ she have? Depression, anxiety, perhaps the makings of PTSD, and above all else, an intense self-loathing.

Antonio looked away from her; whether he did so out of respect or disgust was anyone’s guess. Hayley was too focused on trying not to have a complete mental breakdown right then and there. 

“Hey, Hayley?” Antonio said, pulling a note attached to one of the desk legs. “I think I found his password.” 

Hayley shuddered. “Gimme it. Please.” She swiped it out of his hand and read the note. All it said was “the mountain.” 

She entered ‘themountain’ as a password. Denied. She tried ‘the_mountain.’ Denied. Any variant therein proved to be fruitless. “What the  _ fuck _ ?”

“Maybe it’s not his password?” Antonio suggested.

“I need to focus. Please shut up..”

“Sorry.”

Hayley tried a couple more alterations, but none of them worked. She slammed her fists onto the keyboard, grumbling in frustration. “Tract said there’d be a password!”

“Maybe Solum took it?”

“Why… Why isn’t it here? Why isn’t this working?” Hayley sunk her head into her hands. Her hair draped onto the keyboard messily. As she pulled her hands away, she saw her palms coated in sweat. Was she sweating? Was it always so  _ hot _ in here? 

“But what is the significance of ‘the mountain’ then?” Antonio pondered aloud. As he spoke, he heard footsteps from the hallway. He looked back at Hayley, but she didn’t even seem to notice he was talking out loud. 

“Hayley?” he said, “I’m gonna check the hallway real quick. Can you stay quiet?”

Hayley nodded. 

Antonio approached the door, pressing his ear against the wall. He heard heavy footsteps coming down the hallway towards their position. Now, Antonio had been working here for at least a few weeks, so he knew more-or-less everyone had a relatively quiet footfall. 

This sounded much heavier. Whoever they were, Antonio wanted  _ nothing _ to do with them. “Hayley?” he said, looking back at her. “I think we’ve got company.”

Hayley, meanwhile, had been biting her thumb. Her teeth dug deep enough into her skin to draw blood, staining her lips and tongue. She suddenly felt ill; her throat tensed, yet felt uncomfortably empty. It was only a matter of time before she vomited, but that was the least of her concerns.

“Hayley, we need to get out of here. Someone’s coming--I think Tract sold us out,” he explained.

“But the computer…” she said, despondent. 

“Oh, fuck this.” He said, unplugging the computer. As the power drained, he grabbed the side panel and ripped it off, revealing the internal components. “Take the hard drive. We’ll figure it out later. Let’s  _ go _ !” 

Hayley stared blankly at the hard drive in Solum’s computer. She unplugged it and pocketed it, surprised Antonio had a halfway decent idea. “Alright. Let’s go.”

Antonio took Hayley’s hand once more, dragging her out of Solum’s chair and through the doorway. As they entered the hall, two guards stopped short. 

“Hey! They’re over here!” one of them shouted. 

Hayley saw them. They were definitely cops, not just standard building security. They were honest-to-gods cops. “Run!”

Antonio didn’t need to be told twice. He dragged Hayley down the hallway as fast as he could. Their breaths quick and shallow, they knew slowing down would mean jail time--something Antonio couldn’t stand the thought of. His record was spotless! He couldn’t have this! 

Hayley looked back, seeing two rather burly looking officers chasing them. They both look particularly capable and/or experienced at cracking skulls. They could easily overpower them, if they got caught. “Antonio! They’re gaining on us!”

“This way!” Antonio shouted, his hand calling the elevator at the end of the hall. He pressed the button frantically, but noticed a sign on the doors. “Out of order?!”

Looking back, Hayley saw the cops were closing the gap quickly. “Keep running!”

Antonio grabbed Hayley’s hand and ran once more. “There’s another elevator--we gotta go!”

The cops were close behind. Hayley swore she could feel their breaths against the back of her neck. All of the adrenaline in her body coursed through her veins; she thought she’d use up her entire lifetime supply at this rate.

Antonio banked hard left, his shoes skidding on the floor. He held little regard for Hayley’s safety as he dragged her, his hand gripping her wrist tightly. The thought crossed his mind: why doesn’t he just let go? He’d be faster without this dead weight behind him. He didn’t have an answer. 

Hayley pointed ahead. “Is that it?!”

In front of them lay a second elevator, just at the end of the hall. Antonio would’ve grinned if he could spare the energy. “One last push! Come on!”

Hayley looked behind herself--much against her better judgement--and saw only one cop behind them. “Antonio? Where’s the other one?!”

As they got closer to the elevator, the second cop jumped out from around the corner. He leapt for Antonio, attempting to tackle him to the ground. 

Antonio, quick on the draw, sidestepped and narrowly avoided the cop. His sneakers skidded once more as he dodged the now fallen cop.

Hayley, however, was flung around as she held Antonio’s hand. She tripped over the cop and fell on top of him. 

Antonio slammed on the call button and the doors opened. He turned and frantically pressed the close door button before realizing Hayley wasn’t with him. “Get up!”

As she lay there, the cop behind closed the distance. He leapt for Hayley and grabbed her foot with both hands. 

Hayley barely made it onto her feet before the cop got hold of her. “Let go of me! Get off!” She screamed and kicked back in vain. However, she managed to pry her foot free of her shoe, freeing her from his grasp. 

The elevator doors began to close. She knew full well Antonio wouldn’t wait for her. She dove between the doors, her body hitting the floor hard. Her feet had just barely scraped through before the doors closed fully. 

Antonio breathed a sigh of relief. The elevator began rising to the ground floor, offering him a brief respite. He collapsed to his knees, panting. “That was close.”

Hayley was out of breath as well. Being a stay-at-home hacker-for-hire didn’t give her many opportunities for cardio. “You almost… Gods, I could’ve been left behind.”

“N-not intentionally! I thought you... were right behind me!” he stammered.

“Ugh.” Hayley lifted herself up, getting onto her knees first. “I should keep you on a leash,” she said as she stood up. “Maybe a shock collar will do.”

“I-”

“No sarcastic or sexual comments. Thanks.”

Antonio sighed. “We’re both fine. We made it. That’s the point--the bottom line, isn’t it?”

Hayley glared at him. She dug her finger into his chest. “So much for your ‘redemption arc,’ huh?”

“I don’t recall asking for forgiveness. Or begging for redemption. You threatened me to come here--so I did. Sure, I didn’t  _ intend _ for anything bad to happen to you or Allie, but that’s just how things go,” he explained.

“ _ Ugh _ .”

“Come on, we can argue later. The doors are about to open and we’ll probably have to run some more.”

Right on cue, the elevator doors dinged open. The lobby appeared to be quiet and calm, much to their relief. Antonio thought it best not to exit through the front door, lest they run straight into an ambush. “Come on; out the back door.”

Hayley saw him offering his hand, but she refused. She was perfectly fine following close behind, thank you. 

Antonio guided her through the almost maze-like halls of Luchemita’s ground floor. The ever sterile and pristine floors and walls still creeped Hayley out, but she had much more pressing concerns on her mind. Concerns such as ‘do I have a warrant out for my arrest?’ Or, ‘am I now a fugitive?’ 

She looked down at her missing shoe. It was a shame--she liked that shoe. Then again, she liked not being in jail more than that, so she considered it a worthy sacrifice. 

Antonio pointed at a door to the right. “That’s the back exit. Let’s go.”

Hayley marched forward, watching him push the door open. She let him go first, in case there was some police ambush waiting for them. 

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. It looks like the only resistance were the two cops in the base levels. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved. They got lucky this time, but who knows what would be next? 

“This was Tract’s trap, wasn’t it?” Hayley wondered as she exited.

“Sounds like Allie isn’t exactly a master interrogator,” Antonio commented.

“Not only did we not login to Solum’s computer, but we were almost  _ arrested _ . Sounds like Tract spouted some bullshit then called the cops.”

“Sounds like him.”

Hayley took out the hard drive in her pocket. To her surprise, it didn’t look any worse for wear, despite her tumble and dive earlier. “I guess I’ll be spending all night with this thing. Hopefully it’s got  _ something _ on it.”

Antonio cracked his knuckles as he walked, seemingly as calm as ever. “I’m sure it does. If anyone can figure this out, it’s you, right?”

The words stung Hayley. Once upon a time, she could’ve cracked this drive easily. Now she had no idea if she could even plug it in correctly. “I…” 

“Anyway, sounds like my work here is done…”

Hayley couldn’t hear him. She focused too much on what she couldn’t do, ever since she lost her affinity. Was she always this reliant on it? Who was she without it? Was she even still  _ alive _ ? Was she still  _ herself _ without it? These questions plagued her mind, storming all around her. 

“Do you, uh, need me to take you home or something?” he offered his hand. 

Hayley shook herself back to reality. She stared down at his hand and thought briefly. “I’ll pass.”

Antonio sighed. “I get it. You don’t really trust me, and that’s fine. But you should know that you can trust in my intentions: I do what’s best for me. I told Allie, but I have  _ very _ good reasons for being selfish. If you can’t trust me, at least trust in me doing what a selfish person would do. The second a more profitable opportunity comes up, I’ll take it.”

“So it’s all profit with you?”

“That or physical violence. I’ll probably be swayed if someone threatened me, as any sensible person would.”

“And that’s why you agreed to this? Aren’t you worried you’ll be fired from Luchemita or something?”

Antonio shrugged. “I mean, a little. I can weasel my way out of some real bullshit if push comes to shove. If they caught us, I’d say you forced me into taking you down there. They’d have believed me since I’m an employee. Also, I’m  _ very _ charismatic.”

“I mean, I hard disagree, but you  _ did _ get the job there…”

“Exactly!”

Hayley smacked Antonio across the cheek with the back of her hand. She could feel the sting left behind. “You’re gonna help me and Allie find Solum. Keep a close eye on your phone, or I’ll make the next bitch-slap rock your world.”

Antonio grabbed his cheek, his ears ringing. “Gods… Okay, fine. Just no more heroics from me, alright? Fuck…”

“Glad we could settle that.” Hayley said, wiping her hands. “Anyway, I’ll catch you later, Ant.” She said, walking away. 

Antonio watched her go, rubbing his cheek. “I hate to see you leave, but I love watching you go…”


	18. Brute Force Decryption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Hayley and Allie argue about bugs.

Allie lay flat on the floor, arms outstretched. She stared up at the ceiling fan, her eyes following its slow and predictable spin. She crossed one of her legs and sighed quietly before glancing over at Hayley’s desk. 

Hayley sat at her computer with Solum’s hard drive plugged into her computer. Her legs were folded in her chair as she hunched over her keyboard, typing frantically and furiously. Her hair was disheveled and unkempt. 

The room was quiet in the dead of night. The two victims of Luchemita’s--no,  _ Solum’s _ \--research were silent for their own reasons. 

Allie’s thoughts still dwelled on Tract’s disgusted face as she had beaten him down. She had broken into his home and beaten him senseless. He’d had  _ some _ of it coming, but she hated how far she had been willing to go. She stared at her prosthetic and felt her stomach tie itself into a knot. 

Hayley wiped away a bead of sweat from her forehead. Even though her pyroma had long been removed from her, she still felt a residual heat. 

But despite everything, despite all of the setbacks and roadblocks, both Allie and Hayley still knew there was work to be done. If they wanted a chance at making this all worth it, they needed to plan their next steps carefully. Cracking Solum’s hard drive took priority.

“Any luck?” Allie asked.

“Not really. Been looking up exploits and bypasses for the last hour or so, but nothing,” she whined. 

“And you tried everything relating to that mountain thing?”

“Yeah.”

Allie let her head fall back down to the floor. As much as she wanted to complain about the lack of progress, she was mostly to blame for what Hayley had just gone through. She wasn’t even supposed to  _ need _ the hard drive. Her ‘interrogating’ Tract turned out to be worse than useless, she realized.

If they wanted any chance at success, they needed to switch up their tactics. 

Hayley grumbled as she rebooted her computer, attempting another approach to cracking Solum’s hard drive. “Stupid encryption…” she muttered.

“Is that why you can’t just, like, copy the files to your computer?” Allie asked.

Hayley didn’t answer. She continued clacking away at her keyboard as if Allie said nothing at all. 

Annoyed, Allie checked her phone. She saw a new message, which was odd considering how late it was. She checked it, figuring it to be just spam. 

[03:14] **WhiteMage97** : i dont get it allie

[03:14] **WhiteMage97** : the one time i actually have good news

[03:14] **WhiteMage97** : u n hayley arent answering 

[03:15] **WhiteMage97** : ok fuck this im goin 2 sleep

[03:15] **AlleyAlly** : Okay, hold on. I’m here.

[03:15] **AlleyAlly** : Hey, Ante.

[03:15] **WhiteMage97** : o m fuckin gs 

[03:15] **WhiteMage97** : if it isnt alley ally herself

[03:15] **WhiteMage97** : how r u and hayhay doin 2night

[03:15] **AlleyAlly** : Honestly? We’re both feeling like fucking garbage.

[03:15] **AlleyAlly** : But that’s not the point right now.

[03:16] **AlleyAlly** : What’s this about ‘good news?’   
[03:16] **WhiteMage97** : wouldnt U like 2 know ;)

[03:16] **AlleyAlly** : …

[03:16] **WhiteMage97** : as u may imagine, i have many friends in high places   
[03:16] **WhiteMage97** : i might know how 2 crack solums hard drive

[03:16] **WhiteMage97** : but 

[03:16] **WhiteMage97** : i have a request

[03:17] **AlleyAlly** : Gods, no. No, no, a thousand times no.

[03:17] **AlleyAlly** : I can already feel where this is going. My soul feels like it’s going to leave my body.

[03:17] **WhiteMage97** : aw but i didnt even say it yet!! tf

[03:17] **WhiteMage97** : what did u think i was gonna say

[03:17] **AlleyAlly** : I’ll take my chances getting arrested before going on a date with you. Sorry, not sorry. 

[03:17] **WhiteMage97** : but dont u want to be a spens-theia? 

[03:17] **WhiteMage97** : what kind of last name is inocencio anyway

[03:17] **WhiteMage97** : tbh sounds fake as shit 

[03:17] **AlleyAlly** : I only need one last name, thanks. And besides, if I ever married anyone, they would take my last name. Or I would hyphenate my own. 

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : alphonsia inocencio-spens-theia is kind of a mouthful

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : but srsly, i wasnt gonna ask u to date me

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : wanted 2 know if astuva hospital needed more…  _ senior _ peeps

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : after all, im a junior lab tech

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : i wanna move up in the world

[03:18] **AlleyAlly** : You’ve worked there for, like, not even a month.

[03:18] **AlleyAlly** : And in any case, I have faith in Hayley. Besides, what can  _ you _ offer?

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : friends in high places

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : peeps who can crack drives like eggs

[03:18] **WhiteMage97** : i like 2 keep useful people around

[03:18] **AlleyAlly** : That sounds way cooler than what you actually mean.

[03:18] **AlleyAlly** : What you meant to say was: I know someone who will just brute force a password for 2 weeks. Or more.

[03:19] **WhiteMage97** : o come on im a social butterfly!! i know stuff u dont 

“A-Allie?” Hayley’s voice cut through the silence like a knife in butter. “I think I got it!”

“What?!” Allie shouted, putting her phone down. She jumped up and grabbed the back of Hayley’s chair, staring deep into the monitor before her.

Hayley was giddy with excitement. “Look!” she pointed, like a child at a pile of presents. “It’s his desktop! I can click around! I still got it! I still  _ fucking _ got it!” 

Allie wrapped her arms around the chair and Hayley and kissed her head. She could see her Creaden-ish ears flutter in response. “I knew you could do it! And not a moment too soon…”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“...Don’t worry about it. Let’s just say some people are meant to be ignored. Anyway, what do we have here?” 

Hayley hummed, digging through Solum’s file system. “Hmm, sorting by most recent in his documents folder, I see a couple of standard-looking research notes. Lemme search for pyroma or mountain or something.”

Allie watched her scroll through his files. She could feel her beaming with a brightness like the sun--something she had missed for so long. Even though it was barely autumn, it felt as though they had just come out of a long winter. This hard drive could be the edge they needed to get the drop on Solum--to get one step ahead of him. 

“I think I found something,” she said, opening a document. “Dated two weeks ago, matches results for pyroma and mountain.” 

“What’s it say?”

Hayley read aloud. “ _ Experiment on the hybrid was a success. The problem with prior experiments looked to have been exactly what I suspected: Creaden and Simenti individually only had one half of the puzzle. I had needed both to obtain a more stable sample." _ Hayley paused. “I’m not  _ the _ hybrid, am I?” she complained.

“We already know he’s kind of a dick, so let’s just add that to the list of wrongs he needs to right. What else does he say?” Allie said.

“Ugh. Well, there’s some fluff here about gods and blessings and whatnot. Blah blah blah. Good stuff.” She scrolled down further. “ _ Unfortunately, despite this more ‘complete’ sample, affinities generated from this pyroma were far too weak. There must be one more piece to this puzzle that I am overlooking. I’ve rented historical and mythical manuscripts to determine and commonality between them and investigate further. _ ”

“That doesn’t sound particularly useful,” Allie commented.

Hayley paused to think. “Actually, he  _ did _ have some of those books at his desk. How much do you bet he read them all in one night?” 

“He probably did. Dude’s committed to his research, I guess.”

“Anyway,” Hayley said, continuing, “I see more.  _ Every single story begins with talk of ‘the mountain.’ Of course, this would refer to the Creator’s mountain, which has historically been considered important in both Sabinese and Catolese cultures. If the gods created everything from the mountaintop, then who created the mountain? Maybe this is getting a little too far away from pyroma and affinity research, but the question does need to be begged. If the gods bestowed affinities to the world from the mountaintop, then it’s a lead I must follow. I will make my pilgrimage. _ ”

“He climbed a mountain on his own?” Allie asked.

“Maybe? How long does it take to climb a mountain?” Hayley wondered. After a quick search, she said, “So, the results say anywhere between thirty seconds and two months. That doesn’t help.”

“But considering he hasn’t come back to update this, he’s probably still there or on his way back. That narrows it down a little bit, but not quite enough,” Allie added.

Hayley rubbed her chin. “Hmm. Normally, this is where I’d start pulling up, like, traffic records, or something. We’d be able to figure out when he left and, most importantly, if he returned. Unfortunately, I have no idea if I can figure that out fast enough.” 

“I mean, you got  _ this _ , right? You don’t need your affinity to do all the stuff you used to do,” Allie said.

“Right, but this is a bit more nuanced. You’d want someone on the inside, ideally, or at least a chance to recon the system,” she explained.

Allie’s heart sank when she realized what this meant. If Hayley didn’t feel confident, maybe Antonio’s offer was still on the table. Maybe he  _ could _ help. Or at least, maybe his friends could. As much as she really didn’t want to do it, she was willing to give it a shot. 

[03:24] **AlleyAlly** : You’re right. I should’ve trusted you, Antonio.

[03:24] **AlleyAlly** : I need some information.

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : zzzzzz (thats the sound of me sleepin zzz)

[03:24] **AlleyAlly** : Just tell me if you can help. Or do you not want the job at Astuva?

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : zzzzzzzz

[03:24] **AlleyAlly** : Motherfucker.

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : zzz i dont think ur in any position 2 be callin me names

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : but u no wat, fine

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : ill b nice 

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : tell me wat u need

[03:24] **AlleyAlly** : Transit records--whatever you can scrounge up. I need to know where Solum was last seen, whether by car, train, whatever. He said he was going to the Creators’ Mountain.

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : well that makes complete sense lol

[03:24] **WhiteMage97** : ok lmc

Allie waited an uncomfortably long time. She sat and stared at her phone, waiting for his response. She wondered if he fell asleep--it wasn’t entirely out of the question. Then, before she could lose the last shred of hope she had...

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : gottem loooool

[03:33] **AlleyAlly** : What? You know where he is?

[03:33] **AlleyAlly** : How?

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : ppl, high places, u kno the deal

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : ur not the only one with a hacker friend

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : im sure hayley knows how lol-worthy surveillance cam security is

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : found solums car at the train station

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : (id recognize that thing anywhere its awful)

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : anyway its still at the station

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : if he went 2 the mountain hes still there or on his way back

[03:33] **WhiteMage97** : hows that

[03:33] **AlleyAlly** : Good enough for now. Can you try and find out when he arrived and let me know if you see him on camera anywhere?

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : only if u throw in a kiss bb

[03:34] **AlleyAlly** : Fine. I’ll even hug you.

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : wowza

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : b still my beating heart

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : anything 4 u allie

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : anyway im sleepy

[03:34] **WhiteMage97** : ill let u kno l8r

[03:34] **AlleyAlly** : Thanks, Antonio. I mean it.

Allie locked her phone. “Hey, he’s still at the mountain. I’m heading out first thing in the morning to intercept him.”

Hayley tilted her head. “He’s… how’d you find that out?”

“Our favorite ‘ant’ just made himself useful.”

“Ah, so we’re just calling him ‘ant’ now? Well, he  _ is _ a pest,” Hayley nodded.

Allie stood up, adjusting her prosthetic. She stretched her metallic fingers and wiggled her wrist, listening to it squeak. “He’s one of us now. I mean,  _ barely _ , but he is.”

“Don’t know how I feel about that,” she admitted.

Allie asked, “Would you rather him not like us at all? I don’t really care for him much, either, but he’s beneficial to keep at arm’s length.”

Hayley rolled her eyes. “I just don’t want to be associated with ‘ants’ is all, like you said. I’d rather be something cooler.”

Allie’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we could have a team name?”

“Hmm,” Hayley thought. “I’m not  _ against _ it, but also,  _ why _ ?”

“Why not? We could be, like, the Truth Seekers.”

“No,” Hayley said, flatly.

“The… Pursuers of…”

“Try again.”

"Something bug related? This talk of ants and butterflies got me thinking. What's your favorite bug, Hay?"

"Hate bugs. All of 'em," she made a vomiting gesture.

Allie sighed. "I dunno, hornets are okay."

"They can rot in hell with the rest of 'em."

“Ah, fuck it. I’ll think one later.” Allie grabbed the chair from the corner and dragged it over, sitting with her legs folded. “In any case, here’s what I think we should do next: find Solum, convince him to give up his research, then have him pay his dues to his victims. Alternatively, if he refuses, we can publish what we have on the dark web, or something. Or we can just do that anyway.”

“If the police were involved,” Hayley mentioned, “then they’re likely going to stifle anything we put out there. Trying to smear Solum’s--and by extension, Luchemita’s--name is an uphill battle.”

“I know. But putting that information out there, making it publicly available, we can at least get some public sway. From there, it’s out of our hands.” Allie stared at her prosthetic. “In a manner of speaking.”

Hayley threw her head back in her chair. “Look, I can definitely upload this, but you’re forgetting that the dark web is not public. That’s the whole point. You’re just throwing around the term ‘dark web’ as if it means… whatever you think it means. If we’re gonna publicize it, we have to go big. But…”

“But?” Allie asked.

Hayley looked back at her. “I mean, if Luchemita or anyone like that catches wind of this, they’ll stifle it. I’ll need to be sneaky about uploading this research if we do it.” She rubbed her eyes, imagining how horrible playing whack-a-mole with sensitive research would be.

“You’re Hayley  _ fucking _ Byrde,” she said, resting her hand on her shoulder. “You got this, affinity or not. And  _ I _ got this, arm or not. We’re  _ so _ much better than Solum is. He doesn’t know defeat like we do. I’m gonna make sure he learns the hard way.”

“I mean, first of all: thank you for the pep talk. Second,  _ how _ are you going to convince him? He sounds like he’s kind of a madman with how much he’s been studying affinities and mythology like this,” Hayley said.

Allie walked up toward the wall and stared at it, resting her prosthetic against it as she spoke. “His research is flawed. He’s missing information--data--that he needs to have a chance.”

“What in the  _ world _ do you mean? You understand any of that mumbo-jumbo? I mean, I get the affinity part and all, but the talk of mountains and gods kind of fell flat to me,” Hayley admitted.

“It’s the part where he mentions artificial affinities,” Allie said, turning around and resting her back against the wall. “He said the ones he tried to generate weren’t stable. From what we’ve gathered so far, we can reasonably assume the affinitum plays at least  _ some _ part in affinity generation or stabilization.”

Hayley scratched her chin. “But only Creaden and Simenti are born with affinitum. Solum definitely knows that already, so why is he still trying? It’s not like you can just force implant one into someone. I mean, I would know. I was there when he fucked around with  _ my _ affinitum.”

Allie folded her arms. “See, this is the part that stood out to me. He goes on to mention that the affinities were unstable. Who was he experimenting on, then?”

“He was experimenting,” she paused to think, “on himself?”

“I mean, he wants to climb a mountain on his own, finish his ‘research,’ and then come back all powerful. He’s not convincing  _ anyone _ to climb it with him,” Allie theorized.

“This is kind of ridiculous,” Hayley said. “He knows the dangers. Why would he experiment on himself?”

Allie smirked. “He’s confident he’s figured it out. He knows someone’s hot on his heels, so he’s trying to be more cautious about what he does.”

Hayley thought back to her experience under Solum’s ‘care.’ He  _ did _ say outright he meant no harm to her, but… “So if I’m understanding this correctly, after he experimented on me, he gained enough confidence to test these artificial affinites on himself?”

“We can’t know for sure until we meet him again, but that’s what I think. He doesn’t want to give us  _ more _ reason to chase him. He wants to finish his research,” Allie said.

Hayley sighed. “You might be right. He’s a madman, but he’s a clever one. Rationally irrational, perhaps? He’s self-aware enough to know what he’s doing is wrong and will draw more ire, but he’s going to do it anyway.”

Allie nodded. “I’m going to find him and get the full story. I’ll catch him on the train and end it.”

“And you think he’s going to listen to you?” Hayley asked.

“He has no choice. If he wants any chance at success in his research, he’ll  _ need _ to listen to me. I know things he doesn’t know.”

“And what is that, exactly?”

Allie thought back to her encounter with her ‘guardian angel’ Shanalotte on the hospital’s rooftop. They mentioned guarding something that should never fall into the wrong hands. Only now did Allie realize what they meant. 

“The final piece of the puzzle is hidden from him. And he’ll never know where to find them, unless he listens to me,” Allie answered.

“That’s… OK, being blunt? Ominous and terrifying. What the  _ fuck _ have you been up to while I wasn’t looking?”

Allie giggled. “Oh, family matters.”

Hayley tilted her head, wanting to ask more about what she had meant, but dropped the question. “Alright, but what if he  _ still _ resists? Are you going to fight him?”

“No.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m a doctor, Hayley. I’ve learned a lot after what I did to Tract--what I’m capable of, what I  _ shouldn’t _ be capable of. As a doctor, my duty is to heal people, not hurt them. I swore an oath that I would do no harm.”

“You could get hurt,” Hayley said.

“I know, but it’s the right thing to do. I’m not stooping to Solum’s level, nor Tract’s. We’re going to do this the right way, and this time? We’re gonna get it done.”

Hayley had started biting her nails unconsciously. “I… I trust you, Allie. Keep an ear piece on you so I can keep in touch, OK?”

Allie nodded. “I will. Dawn marks the beginning of the end of Solum’s research.”


	19. Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie takes a ride.

[06:53] **WhiteMage97** : holdin up my end of the deal

[06:53] **WhiteMage97** : spotted solum boardin a train home earlier 2day

[06:53] **WhiteMage97** : hes on the train back rn, should be the next one that arrives at the station ur goin 2

[06:53] **WhiteMage97** : b safe

[06:54] **WhiteMage97** : i wanna kiss u

[07:08] **AlleyAlly** : Acknowledged.

The biting wind of an early autumn’s morning nipped at Allie’s ears. She stood at the train station, elevated from road level. With her hands folded into her hoodie’s pouch, she tapped her foot to the beat of her favorite song. She yawned quietly, covering her mouth. 

The train was due to arrive any moment now, and she could hardly wait. She checked her most recent message with Antonio, who swore up-and-down that Solum would be on the next train. While normally she wouldn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, he wanted what they wanted, so long as it benefitted him in the end. That was about as far as she was willing to go to work alongside him, at least for now. 

The sound of the train’s whistle caught her attention. She adjusted the fox mask resting on the top of her head, ready to slide over her face at a moment’s notice. As soon as she found Solum, she’d don the mask. She figured the piercing crimson eyes and voice modulator would instill at least  _ some _ fear into him.  The train screeched to a halt. The doors opened slowly and squeakily, followed by a short bell.  _ Arrived at: Astuva City, downtown district _ . Allie stepped onto the train, feeling the warmth of the cabin embrace her.

There was nary a soul in any of the seats before her. The cabin had room for at least fifty--maybe seventy--but not a single person filled any of the seats. All she could see were the chartreuse seats, mismatching flooring a deeply saturated azure, and the overhead compartments. 

Not wanting to be unnerved by the thought of a ‘ghost train,’ Allie made her way to the next cabin, opening the door and stepping briefly into the cold abyss outside. She opened the next door to the cabin and noticed the train had already left the station. At this point, she had fully committed to tracking Solum down. No turning back now.

The next cabin was just as empty as the last. It was as if she somehow stepped into the same cabin from which she left. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Where did everyone go? It’s true that this was a particularly early train, but surely there would be  _ someone _ . She didn’t even see a conductor on board.

Allie checked her phone, scrolling through her recent messages. Antonio was right, this  _ should  _ be the right train. How could it be this empty? The momentary fear that Antonio had sold them out again tickled her anxiety, but she recalled what he had said: he does what’s in  _ his _ best interest. He wants what Allie wants. 

Allie entered the next cabin up and saw a conductor sitting at one of the seats. He was a rather tall and burly wolf, decked head-to-toe in a navy blue uniform with a blue hat and golden accents. His clothes looked as though they would fly off his body in shreds at a moment’s notice if he so much as flexed his bicep.

“Excuse me,” Allie asked, “Where is everyone?”

The wolf was leaned over a foldable table, his arms resting on it with his hands clutching a beer bottle tightly. “Probably next car up.” He gestured with his half-filled bottle, spilling a few drops.

“Are… are you even going to ask if I have a ticket?” she asked.

“No.” The wolf took a long, hard swig of his beer.

“Um…” Allie trailed off. “Did you see a cat man around here? Average height, black fur, probably wearing, uh, mountaineering equipment?”

The wolf shrugged. 

Allie groaned and continued walking forward. She entered the next cabin, feeling her patience dwindling. Thankfully, this cabin wasn’t quite so empty. She could see a small handful of passengers gathered in various seats, but none of them matched Solum’s description. 

Several passengers were drawn to her presence and followed her with their eyes. They all stared, whether it was at her or the mask sitting atop her head she wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. They weren’t getting in her way, and she wasn’t getting in theirs. 

Reaching for the door handle, Allie paused to look through the window into the next cabin. She could see a dark silhouette with somewhat familiar cat-looking ears toward the back half of the cabin. No one else sat in the cabin except for him.

“You…” she muttered, having to hold back the bile rising in her throat. All of the pain and despair she and Hayley had felt and shared were personified by Solum at this moment. The loss of Allie’s limb, the loss of Hayley’s affinity, and all of those who suffered for his research. 

Allie slipped the fox mask on, instantly feeling herself more empowered. Her breaths were modulated downward like a constant drumbeat. She opened the door and stormed in. Now that she had a closer look, she could see his clothes were ragged. His trench coat had large holes ripped on the sides and stained with mud. His once pristine black fur was now tinged brown as well. His eyes were baggy and his eyelids drooped downward as if he would fall asleep at a moment’s notice.

“Solum Omhog,” she shouted in her deepened voice.

Solum jumped, nearly falling out of his seat. “Good gods, who the  _ fuck _ are you?” 

“One of your victims,” she answered, pointing at him. “I’ve come to talk to you. Your research is flawed, Solum. You can make this right, but you have to listen to me.”

The cabin shook as the train groaned, departing the station. 

Solum scoffed, his ears twitching. “ _ Flawed _ ? Oh, you poor thing. You have no idea what fruits my research has borne. If you suffered because of it, I am truly sorry, but science compels us to solve the mysteries of life and creation.”

“You’re doing this for  _ science _ ?”

“And for the gods, the people of this world, and the future generations. We have nothing to discuss here, you and I. Leave, now, before I demonstrate what I’m truly capable of.” Solum stood up, readying himself for a fight. He bent his knees and clenched his fist. “I’ve gone to extreme lengths to fulfill my life’s work, and I will not let it end like this.”

“I’m not going to fight you,” Allie said. “I’m here to reason with you, Solum. You’re a man of science, of logic. I can work with you and--”

“You don’t want to work with me! You want to undo all of my hard work!” he said, glancing out the window.

“I want you to know the truth!” Allie reached out her left arm, offering it. “You’ve spent your whole life searching for it, and I know something that--”

“Silence, silence, silence! You’re just like all the others who’ve gotten in my way! Nobody just wants to  _ help _ . Nobody is actually  _ selfless _ . The gods… the gods spoke to me.” 

“They  _ spoke _ to you?” Allie retracted her hand, unable to hide her confusion. As an atheist, she found his ramblings to be of the ‘insane’ variety. 

“I heard them. They said we’re not long for this world as we are. We’re all going to perish. You’re making it worse! We can still fix it!  _ I _ can still fix it!” Solum’s voice cracked, his throat scratched up from  _ gods-knows-what _ . 

“And you climbed to the top of the mountain to hear them say that?” she asked.

“Yes, yes! All the way to the top! It was at the summit I heard them whisper to me; it was a divine revelation!” Solum’s voice grew lighter, as if he were speaking to the gods directly.

The train banked a hard left, making Allie and Solum stumble a little.

Allie tried her best to keep him calm. She could clearly tell he was on edge, possibly starved and underslept. He had seemed so rational before this happened; now he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. “What if I told you I have a fragment of the gods’ powers?” 

Solum giggled. Then he cackled. His laughter erupted into a hoarse string of coughs, causing some blood to spill onto his hands. “You wouldn’t even know where to  _ begin _ to find them. I don’t need anything anymore. The gods are on  _ my _ side, you little insect! You will burn with the rest of those who refuse their blessing!”

“I’m not going to fight you, Solum!”

“You won’t be able to,” he said, eyeing the window once more. He took a quick running jump and leapt through the window, smashing it as he dived out of the still-moving train.

Allie ran towards the broken glass and tracked Solum as best she could. He dived out of the train and landed approximately two storeys down. 

And yet he was still moving. At first he hobbled, but then he broke out into a full sprint. He looked as though he would fall over at any moment, but kept his speed up.

“What the  _ fuck _ ?” 

She pulled out her phone and called Antonio--something she never thought she’d ever do.

“ _ Allie? _ ” 

“Hey, yeah. Solum just jumped out of a moving train and is still running. Don’t ask me how.”

“ _ H-I mean, what the fuck do you want me to do about that? Chase him? _ ”

“Do you have eyes on city surveillance cameras or anything? Maybe some, like, insecure internet doorbell things?”

“ _ Not off hand, no. I’d need to get Hayley to help with that, I think. _ ”

“Just do it! Solum’s getting away and I need eyes on him  _ now _ !”

The train screeched to a halt as it reached the next station.  _ Arrived at: Pyre Mall station _ . The doors slid open as a couple of passengers boarded.

“I need to go. Call me back,” Allie said, hanging up before Antonio could reply. She sprinted out of the cabin and down the station’s staircase, shoving past everyone in her way. 

As she hit the ground, she continued her sprint back where she last saw Solum. He had jumped out at an intersection she had been familiar with--one just a block and a half or so away from the mall. She drew a mental map in her head as she ran along the sidewalk, imagining Solum’s path.

Based on where he had jumped, he only could’ve gone in three paths, since she didn’t see him double back under the train bridge. If he had run east, he’d run into her, since that road would take him right towards the mall. That meant he could only have gone west or north. 

“Come on, Ante, Hayley, I need your eyes. I can’t do this on my own…”

Allie darted between crowds of people, her hood caught on the wind and blew off, leaving her mask fully exposed. She didn’t care--she didn’t have  _ time _ to care. She stopped short at the intersection where Solum had fallen and took a moment to glance at both the north and west roads. 

“ _ Allie? _ ” 

“Hayley?!” Allie said. “Making good use of this earpiece, huh?”

“Solum went north. He’s not too far ahead, but you need to hurry. I can barely keep track of him with these shitty cameras,” she explained.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Allie said, banking across the intersection. 

As she ran, she tried to look ahead to find Solum, but couldn’t tell him apart from the crowd. She trusted Hayley’s intel. She continued her blind chase as best she could, her breath fogging up her mask. 

“ _ You’re catching up to him. Luckily he’s kinda slow. And old. _ ”

“I think it’s more he’s just exhausted!”

“ _ Probably. Either way, just keep going and you’ll corner him. He’s going down a dead-end; there’s construction blocking off the road ahead. _ ”

“Lucky us, huh?”

Allie ran ahead of the crowd until she stopped short of the construction zone. She caught a glimpse of Solum taking a quick glance back before darting into the dilapidated building to his right. 

“ _ Good luck, Allie. _ ” Hayley said before static took over. 

_ I don’t need luck _ , she thought to herself. Solum was cornering himself--what could he do now? Feeling more confident, Allie followed him inside.

The inside was far more broken down than the outside had made it seem. It looked to have been an abandoned office building with a large, marble-floored lobby. Dust and debris from the walls and ceiling were thrown haphazardly on the floor, making it a challenge to keep herself from tripping.

Solum’s footprints in the dust gave Allie a trail to follow, despite losing sight of him. She banked hard right around a corner and nearly ran straight into a toppled-over table. On the other side was Solum, who was deftly hopping and bouncing over all the obstacles in his way.

“He’s surprisingly nimble,” she muttered to herself, jumping over the table. 

Allie made her way further in, only to hear a door open and slam shut ahead of her. She ran ahead and saw a doorway to a staircase leading upward. Without thinking, she bashed the door open and followed the sound of his footsteps heading towards the roof. 

“You’re gonna trap yourself, Solum!” Allie shouted, her voice echoing in the stairwell.

“Leave me  _ alone _ !” he shouted back, his footsteps echoing loudly as well.

Allie continued climbing but tripped over one of the stairs. She fell face-first onto the platform and groaned, realizing just how out of breath she was. She heaved as she hoisted herself back to her feet, taking a quick moment to catch her breath. Not wanting to waste time, she hurried back up the stairs and continued following his lead.

Before long, Allie could hear a door being bashed open. She wondered just how many staircases she had climbed--five? Seven? It was hard to tell.

Allie made her way to the same door Solum went through and kicked it open, realizing they were now on the rooftop. The gentler breeze at street-level gave way to harsh winds. Allie’s hood flew off her head and around her neck from the sheer force.

“Solum!” she shouted again. “Enough is enough. You can’t run forever.”

Solum turned around, frantic and fidgeting. “No, no! You stay  _ away _ from me! You want to  _ destroy _ everything! All we’ve worked for--not just me!  _ All _ of us!” He backed away from her slowly and cautiously.

“I’m not destroying anything. I just want you to stop your research, that’s all!” she said, approaching him slowly.

“Yes, that’s exactly it! Death and destruction, wherever you go. You’re a harbinger of death, but I am the cure--the gods willed it thus!”

Allie knew trying to reason with him normally was a fool’s errand. Despite being an atheist, she had to do her damndest to sound like a true believer. “The gods brought me here. They wanted you to know something, Solum. Something they couldn’t, uh, tell you? Before?”

Solum stopped. “They what?” he asked with genuine curiosity. 

“Yeah, they, like, couldn’t tell you before because they didn’t want to… overwhelm you. With divine knowledge. They don’t want your head to explode from all these revelations, you know?”

“Hmm,” he paused, rubbing his chin. “Of course. What did they wish to tell me?”

“That your research is flawed. You’re missing a vital component of the puzzle. Something you’ll never obtain.”

“And what might  _ that _ be? The gods willed it thus, and their will  _ shall _ be done.”

Allie sighed, realizing just how crazy she sounded. “The legendary gemstones. You know, the two that the gods left behind, or something?”

A light of inspiration flickered in his eyes. “Goodness, of course. I knew  _ something _ was off. Eating the mountain rocks brought me closer, but how could I have been so blind?!”

“You… ate rocks?”

“They were divine rocks, you see. The gods created the world from the mountaintop. Those rocks are the closest we will get to their power--save for the gemstones, of course,” he explained, reminiscing fondly on chewing through solid rock.

Allie wanted to gag at the thought. “I can help you find the gemstones. You need to come with me.” She extended her hand towards him, slowly, so as not to startle him. 

Solum almost reached his hand out, but yanked it back. “No. No, this isn’t right at all. The gods wouldn’t send  _ you _ as a herald. This isn’t right at  _ all _ !” 

“I’m trying to help!”

“No!” he said, stomping his foot. “You’re only looking to help yourself. You’re a force of destruction and chaos--the gods  _ warned _ me. You’re going to take their  _ gift _ away from me!”

“You had hallucinations and ate rocks! You’re starved and dehydrated! You need medical attention or you will  _ die _ !”

“Begone, you foul bug! Never again shall the hornets of hell itself harass me!”

“Solum, you--”

“Gods, protect me. May the aether flow through my veins, for I shall right my wrongs.” Solum spun around and ran towards the edge of the roof.

“No!” Allie chased after him, reaching outward to catch him.

But it was too late. Solum dove off the edge of the roof with his hands wrapped around himself. He looked oddly at peace.

That was when Allie realized he wasn’t falling. At least, not as fast as he should have been. He was just… descending. Slowly. His movements were deliberate, calm, as if he were in slow-motion. 

And then he touched the ground gently like a ballerina landing a flip. As he touched down, he broke out into a sprint and ran away from the office complex as fast as a tired man could. 

Allie watched him run, crouched over the edge of the roof. She leaned back and collapsed, her chest panting and heaving. Had she been holding her breath? Just how tired  _ was  _ she? 

She stared skyward, unable to think straight. There was no way she’d catch up to Solum now. 

“ _ Allie, you there? _ ” Hayley’s voice crackled through her ear piece. “ _ What happened? _ ”

“He got away.”

“ _ What? How? Last we saw, you were chasing up him a building. Did he jump off or something? _ ”

“Yeah.”

Hayley paused. “ _ So, he’s dead? _ ”

“No.”

“ _ What do you mean ‘no’? _ ”

“He just… floated. He jumped off and managed to float to the ground safely. Like he just...” she trailed off, taking her mask off.

“ _ Gods… _ ”

“I think… I think I know what he did,” Allie said, wiping the sweat from her brow. “I didn’t think he could, but he…”

“ _ He what? _ ”

“He… It can’t be...”

“ _ What? Can’t be what, Allie?” _

“An affinity.”


	20. Peer(less) Review

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie, Hayley, and Antonio think it through.

Allie sat cross-legged on the floor with her head resting against the wall, cushioned by one of Hayley’s pillows. Antonio lay on his back with his hands folded over his chest, staring up at the ceiling as he hummed quietly. All the while, Hayley clicked and dragged files and folders around her desktop. 

The room was equally silent as it was uncomfortable. The reality of their situation had begun to set in: Solum could seemingly defy gravity and escape from Allie with ease. How were they supposed to find him, let alone make him pay for what he had done? How could they get him to confess to his crimes when he could simply dash away and nobody could chase him?

Those were the questions they had all sought to answer as best they could. Allie had called the impromptu meeting together to coalesce any and all intel they had obtained into  _ something _ . Anything they could use to predict Solum’s next move or goals could make a huge difference.

“So first and foremost,” Hayley said, opening up an audio player on her computer. “We have Allie’s recordings from her encounter with Solum--everything from the train onward is here. That’s why I’ve constructed the following.”

Hayley tilted one of her monitors to face Allie and Antonio. On it was a blank, white slate with the words “ _ SOLUM FACTS _ ” written at the top. She had also doodled a crude caricature of his face with stink links and a pile of poop with more stink lines coming off of that.

“This is for stuff we know about him?” Antonio asked.

She nodded. “Anything and everything goes here. We want a clear picture about what he wants and how he plans to get it.” Her keyboard clacked as she typed up the first few facts. “Likes affinities, very religious, and a huge douchebag. Willing to throw people under the bus for the sake of science and/or religion.” 

Antonio raised his hand, “Um, how is this going to help, exactly? I mean, I don’t think calling him a douchebag is really that productive.”

Hayley’s ears pointed inwards, the tips appearing sharper than normal. “I just have a bone to pick with him and this is how I cope.”

“O-oh.”

Allie fiddled with her prosthetic, using her other hand to feel around it and prod at the exposed wires. She removed each finger and dusted out the insides before plugging them back in.

“Allie?” Hayley said. “You listening?”

She snapped her head up. “Yeah, just… Yeah.”

Hayley’s finger hovered over her mouse. “I wanted to play some of the audio you recorded from the train. You ready for that?”

Allie nodded.

Hayley pressed play.

_ “Flawed? Oh, you poor thing. You have no idea what fruits my research has borne. If you suffered because of it, I am truly sorry, but science compels us to solve the mysteries of life and creation.” _

Hayley skipped ahead. She looked at Allie, who was back to fiddling with her prosthetic.

_ “And for the gods, the people of this world, and the future generations. We have nothing to discuss here, you and I. Leave, now, before I demonstrate what I’m truly capable of. I’ve gone to extreme lengths to fulfill my life’s work, and I will not let it end like this.” _

The words didn’t even seem to reach Allie. Her face and pose stayed consistent, almost eerily so. She could feel Hayley and Antonio glancing at her, but they didn’t say anything about it. Not that she minded, of course. 

Reflecting on what Solum said--and what he did, of course--lowered her spirits. She didn’t even know it was possible to feel this much worse than she already did. Staring at her prosthetic just reminded her more of what was at stake; how much of it just went out the window with Solum. 

_ “Silence, silence, silence! You’re just like all the others who’ve gotten in my way! Nobody just wants to help. Nobody is actually selfless. The gods… the gods spoke to me.”  _

Hayley jotted down a few notes on the Solum sheet. “He’s willing to go to extreme lengths and will do it again, but he says he feels sorry. Doesn’t really sound sorry to me, but whatever. Curious to a fault, obviously. But the part about the gods…” She trailed off, glancing at Antonio. “Did he ever talk about the gods much? When you worked with him, I mean?”

“Ugh, yeah. He’s the kinda guy who just… you know, rambles. You can’t let him get started or he never stops. I mean, other than that he was fine, but still,” he groaned. 

“I mean, he wasn’t really  _ fine _ , but whatever.”

“You know what I mean.”

Hayley sighed. “Moving on.”

_ “No, no! You stay away from me! You want to destroy everything! All we’ve worked for--not just me! All of us!” _

Allie’s ears twitched. 

_ “I’m not destroying anything. I just want you to stop your research, that’s all!” _

_ “Yes, that’s exactly it! Death and destruction, wherever you go. You’re a harbinger of death, but I am the cure--the gods willed it thus!” _

She remembered this exchange. Being seen as a herald of death and destruction was hardly the compliment she wanted or needed. The words stung just as harshly now as they did then. Her look of disgust must have caught Hayley’s attention, because she was looking right at her.

“You alright?”

“Just fine,” she insisted. “Keep it rolling.”

_ “The gods brought me here. They wanted you to know something, Solum. Something they couldn’t, uh, tell you? Before?” _

_ “They what?” _

_ “Yeah, they, like, couldn’t tell you before because they didn’t want to… overwhelm you. With divine knowledge. They don’t want your head to explode from all these revelations, you know?” _

_ “Hmm. Of course. What did they wish to tell me?” _

_ “That your research is flawed. You’re missing a vital component of the puzzle. Something you’ll never obtain.” _

_ “And what might that be? The gods willed it thus, and their will shall be done.” _

_ “The legendary gemstones. You know, the two that the gods left behind, or something?” _

_ “Goodness, of course. I knew something was off. Eating the mountain rocks brought me closer, but how could I have been so blind?!” _

“Hold on, pause it there,” Antonio said. “There’s no way he really ate the rocks, right? Like, that’s crazy talk.”

Hayley craned her head back at Antonio, her hair partially obscuring her eye. “This dude’s hardly stable. I wouldn’t put it past him to break his own toes if it meant getting closer to the gods.”

“I mean, I’m having trouble reconciling all this. When I worked with him, he seemed so much more… I dunno, calm? Level-headed? I know you two only really saw him once, but he was overall a normal dude every other time I saw him. And yes, I know he’s an asshole. I’m just saying he acted pretty normal day-to-day.”

“I just…” Hayley coughed, clutching at her chest instinctively. “I have a hard time seeing him like that.”

“I know, but not everyone is as they seem. I mean, look at me,” he gestured to himself. “Kinda sold you out, and you didn’t even see that coming.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” she said as she wrote more on the Solum board. “Rambles, ate rocks, relatively normal outside of affinity/religion stuff.”

Allie’s eyes glazed over as she kept staring at her prosthetic. She wiggled her fingers one by one, watching them react to her nerve impulses, but not  _ feeling _ them move. This was her new normal, and despite acting like it, it  _ still _ bothered her. 

Her thoughts and emotions came and went like ocean waves. Some days she felt fine, others she never felt worse. And she knew all this, but she still couldn’t account for it. She never knew how to level-out her emotions; to her, everything was one extreme or another.

“Next up,” Hayley said, playing more audio.

_ “They were divine rocks, you see. The gods created the world from the mountaintop. Those rocks are the closest we will get to their power--save for the gemstones, of course,” he explained, reminiscing fondly on chewing through solid rock. _

_ “I can help you find the gemstones. You need to come with me.”  _

_ “No. No, this isn’t right at all. The gods wouldn’t send you as a herald. This isn’t right at all!”  _

_ “I’m trying to help!” _

_ “No! You’re only looking to help yourself. You’re a force of destruction and chaos--the gods warned me. You’re going to take their gift away from me!” _

Antonio nodded along. “So he says, or at least  _ claims _ , to have a gift from the gods. That seems pretty cut and dry then, right? Affinity, one hundred percent. That’s what the books always said affinities were--gifts from the gods.”

“Of course, but only Creaden or Simenti have ever been recorded to have affinities. Anything else is unprecedented,” Hayley said.

“Right,” Antonio got up and spread out his arms. “On the one hand, you have Creaden,” he said, waving his left hand. “And on the other, Simenti,” he waved his right. “They split up the eight elements of the world, right? So what’s left for the rest, then?”

“Well, that’s the thing. What could it even be? Light? Dark? Uh, ice? Gravity?”

“Maybe,” he said, pointing to her computer. “There’s a little bit more left on that audio recording, right?”

Hayley hit resume.

_ “Begone, you foul bug! Never again shall the hornets of hell itself harass me!” _

_ “Solum, you--” _

_ “Gods, protect me. May the aether flow through my veins, for I shall right my wrongs.”  _

Antonio clapped his hands together. “I think that answers your question right there.”

Hayley scrubbed back on the player and listened to what Solum said again. “The aether flows through him?”

“What if that’s what it’s called--or at least, what he calls it? What even  _ is _ aether?” he asked.

“How would I know? You’re apparently the affinity scholar around here, despite masquerading as a dumbass for most of your days here,” she said.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong: I’m still a dumbass; I just like to observe what I can and remember things that’ll help me later. Plus, how could I  _ not _ learn about affinities when I worked with Solum for a few weeks?”

“Alright then, hotshot. If you think Solum’s affinity is ‘aether’ or whatever, explain what that means,” she folded her arms and stared at him.

Antonio folded his arms as well, matching her stare. “Well,  _ professor _ , considering he can just float down from otherwise lethal heights, and it’s called  _ aether _ , I’m willing to bet it’s something a bit more potent than your average affinity. If he succeeded in his research, there’s no telling how strong he could be.”

“He can’t be  _ that _ strong,” Hayley said. 

“I mean, he talked at length about how affinities are getting shittier over time. If they’re half as potent today as they were back then, who knows what a fresh affinity could be like? Maybe he can destroy the world for all we know.” 

Hayley rubbed her snout as her ears flattened against her head. “Do you really think that in the past, people had affinities that could destroy the world? We wouldn’t have made it ten  _ years _ before somebody horribly fucked up.”

“I’m not saying that it was that bad, I’m just saying we don’t know how strong he is.” He turned to look at Allie. “Hey, you still with us?”

Allie looked disinterested, distant. Her ears perked as Antonio called to her, but they ultimately returned to their tilted and slightly-skewed position. “Yeah,” she grumbled.

Antonio crouched down in front of her and grabbed her by the chin. “Come on, stay with us. I’m here doing you two a favor. The least you could do is act like you’re interested, like you always do.”

Allie swatted his hand away. “Not like it matters. Solum’s powerful--you said it yourself.”

“Come on.” He grabbed her prosthetic, tugging at it. “Stand up. You can do that much, can’t you?”

She refused to move, but something had to give. The prosthetic popped out of its lock and came off completely, leaving Allie armless and Antonio with a very confused look on his face. 

“I didn’t think it’d come off  _ that _ easily,” he said, waving it around. “It’s kinda light.”

Allie didn’t even bother reaching for it. She just sat there, her hand clutching around where her elbow would be. “I was fiddling with it.”

“This is what I mean,” he said, waving the prosthetic around. “You can be pretty insufferable sometimes, you know that?”

“Antonio,” Hayley said sternly. 

He didn’t stop. “Man, I had to let this out at some point. Allie, full disclosure? It was funny the first few times you dunked on me, but for fuck’s sake, if you want my help, you gotta be somewhat mature.”

“ _ Antonio _ ,” Hayley repeated. “Is now the time for that?”

“Probably not, but I’m sick of letting her just take out her bullshit on me.” He dropped the prosthetic on the floor between them. “Take your arm back. I’m done ranting,” he said, huffing as he sat back down.

Allie stared quietly at the arm before her. She reached for it and looked intently at it. She wondered what it even meant to her anymore. Was it just a replacement for what she once had? Was it something better? Worse? She couldn’t decide. It was a lot of things to her, but nothing made sense. Every thought she had contradicted the next.  _ The prosthetic is powerful. It’s weak. I’m weak. I’m strong. _

What was she, exactly?

Hayley huffed, seemingly wanting to tell Antonio to fuck off. Something stopped her, however. Was she agreeing with him? Was she not wanting to make a scene? “We should review what we have so far.”

“Sounds good to me,” Antonio said. “What’s his next move?”

Allie put the prosthetic back on. It clicked and locked into place as she immediately regained control over her fingers. Once more, she wiggled them around, as if she were being manipulated like a puppet. 

“That’s the thing,” Hayley said. “I’m not really sure. He could be anywhere, and who even knows what his affinity can do. Is it limited to just descending slowly? Is it more? The way he said it makes it sound… ominous, really. When he said he wants to right his wrongs, I don’t get how falling slowly would really make a difference.”

“Maybe he has a magic umbrella? He could manipulate objects and stuff with it?” Antonio suggested. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. Magic isn’t real.”

“Affinities  _ aren’t _ magic?”

“You’re the one who worked with an affinitologist!” Hayley shouted. “If they were magic, you wouldn’t be studying it like science, now would you?!”

Hayley’s and Antonio’s voices seemed so distant to Allie. It felt like listening to an argument in a room down the hall--far away, irrelevant. She was focused on Solum and his next move. She closed her eyes and remembered everything she could.

Solum was a maverick, a pioneer. Despite his extreme methods, he believed in a goal he thought was just. And moreover, he was apologetic. At least, as much as someone like him could be. 

His words rang in her ears.  _ May the aether flow through my veins, for I shall right my wrongs. _ How did he intend to do that?

She thought back to what his ‘wrongs’ were. Solum knew full well people suffered from his research. Of all of his victims, there was the first patient that Allie had ever helped operate on, the second patient who had died, and finally, Hayley. 

“Hey, Ante?” Allie spoke up, surprising both Hayley and Antonio. “Did Solum experiment on anyone else besides the three we know about? You know, the first patient, the one who… the one who died, and Hayley?”

“Uhh,” he scratched the back of his head. “Those were the only three he mentioned. I don’t think he had any more.”

“Thanks,” she said, regaining her focus. Of the three, she couldn’t imagine that Solum would prioritize the dead victim. After all, no amount of mountain rock-eating could right  _ that _ wrong, she thought. 

That left the first victim and Hayley. Unless Solum started knocking on her door now, then there was only one possible choice for Solum to make. But what would Solum do with that first patient? 

She kept her eyes closed and focused. In her mind, she could see the first patient’s desperate look on his face as he struggled to cope without his affinity. The image of him turning the cup of water upside-down and splashing it all over himself was burned into her mind. 

Solum had stolen his affinity from him. 

“I…” Allie said aloud. “I need to go.”

Hayley blurted out, “Wait, why? Where are you going?”

She stood up and grabbed her hoodie, slipping it on as quickly as she could. “I need to hurry. I’ll take my earpiece, but both of you should be on standby.”

“Hey!” Antonio grabbed Allie by the shoulder. “Answer Hayley’s question.”

Allie looked at her friend, then Antonio, before answering. “The hospital. I know what Solum’s doing next.”

“What is he doing? Allie, you need to let us know if you figured something out,” Hayley said.

Allie grabbed her fox mask and slipped it into her hoodie’s pouch. “Solum’s going to right his wrongs. I think he wants to give back the affinities he stole.”

“You can’t be serious,” Hayley said, clutching her chest subconsciously. “He can’t do that--he could  _ never _ do that.” She pulled her hand away. “Could he?”

“I need to go,” Allie said, not even hearing Hayley’s question. She opened the door and stormed out as fast as she could. 

*************************************************************************************************************

Allie couldn’t remember the last time she had entered the hospital. Of course, the  _ last _ time was when she had just lost her arm, but before that? It was all kind of a blur. Nothing had seemed to have changed since then, though: the hustle and bustle of patients and staff filled the lobby with a familiar and calming background noise. Honestly, she could fall asleep in the lobby and be just fine. 

She took off her hoodie and wrapped it around her waist, leaving her in her black tank top and blue jeans. She wore her ID badge around her waist, ready to scan at will. 

She almost expected to see Antonio hovering around the reception desk or wandering the halls. She knew full well he was at Hayley’s place, but still, it felt strange not having him around. What about Yuvo? Would he be around, too? It had been so long that she had forgotten his schedule. 

Not wanting to lose time, she slipped behind the reception desk and unlocked the door with her ID, stepping inside to the records office. They always called it an office, but it was more of a glorified closet with locked shelves. 

“Let’s see…” she muttered to herself, her fingers wandering up and down shelves. They were all labeled by patient last names and sorted by date of last admission, but some entries were kept separated for special or otherwise unusual cases. She wondered if the pyroma situation would warrant that, but it was worth checking the first line of defense to start.

She opened the drawer with the label “Di” for the first two letters of patients’ last names. There were a ton of manilla folders with various papers sticking out of them, each of them surprisingly thick. Allie had never really spent too much time here, but it always impressed her just how much medical history could be written down per patient. 

Going through folder after and folder, Allie couldn’t seem to find what she was looking for. They were ordered by date--the most recent being towards the front. It should have been within the first few folders, but it wasn’t there. 

This wasn’t  _ that _ unusual. Sometimes, nurses get a little sloppy and slapped a folder in the wrong drawer. Allie checked the next one up and below, “De” and “Do” respectively. There were only so many folders to check, but none of them were the patient’s--Marco DiSanto’s. 

“Fuuuuuck,” she grumbled. “Why do we suck so much at keeping everything organized? We’re a  _ hospital _ .”

It was then that Allie recalled a special cabinet for more…  _ unusual _ cases. Patients with strange or otherwise noteworthy conditions or procedures. Surely the first pyroma victim would qualify, right? 

Closing the door, Allie made her way deeper into the records office. She came across a large two-doored cabinet with glass panels. It had to be here, she thought. If not, she wasn’t sure what else she could do. She dug through each of the files, searching quick. Her full attention was focused on each folder, one by one, until…

“Finally!” she shouted, grabbing the manilla folder with Marco DiSanto’s name on it. Wasting no time, she opened it and began to read it, but was cut off.

“Hello?”

A voice called out from behind her within the records office. Somebody was in there with her, and she had no idea who. She kicked herself for shouting and slipped the folder under her hoodie, holding it in place with her hand through the pouch on the outside. 

Allie crouched down next to one of the drawers, poking her head out. She couldn’t see who was at the other end, but she soon came to a disturbing realization: she was trapped. There was only one path directly to the special patient cabinet, and the person was cutting off her only way out. 

She couldn’t be seen, not like this. Not with a patient’s sensitive information in her possession, especially when she was only a student. This could end her career--her  _ life _ . She had to play it smart. 

Allie climbed on top of one of the drawers, getting a better view of the office as a whole. All of the drawers were aligned in rows, and she was atop the one at the very corner of the office. Ahead of her was her mysterious pursuer, who most certainly knew where she was. 

She hopped to the drawer across from her, attempting not only to get a better view of her pursuer, but also to find another way out. If she could somehow mislead the person into going down the path to the special patient cabinet. If they took the bait, she could hop down into another row of drawers and make her quick escape. 

Allie shifted over on top of the drawer she was on. She had to act fast. She kicked over the drawer next to her, spilling its contents into the aisle directly in front of the cabinet. 

She could hear the person’s footsteps walking closer to the cabinet. That was her cue to jump down into the other aisle and make her escape. She hopped down and put on a burst of speed, running towards the door as fast as she could.

Just before she could make it, a tall figure ran in her way, blocking her escape. She could see now he was a man--a Simenti man, familiar, too. He grabbed her by the arm. 

Instinctively, reflexively, she howled, attempting to wrestle her arm out of his grasp. “Get off me! Get! Off!” She kicked the man hard in the leg.

The man let go. “Allie?”

Allie fell to the floor, landing on her ass as she stared up at him. “...Dr. Yuvo?” 

“Allie, what in the  _ world _ are you doing here? I thought someone broke in! You could’ve told me you came back to work,” he sighed, as if letting out a breath he had been holding the whole time. 

“I, uh,” she picked herself up. “It’s important, and I can’t really do this with your help. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” She had attempted to slip past him.

Yuvo held his hand up, standing in front of the door. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I…” Allie kept her hand on her stomach, holding the file in place. Did he not know she had it on her? “I’m doing some research. I need to do this, and--”

“Research on what?” he asked.

Allie had a hard time lying to him. Was it out of a feeling of respect, like how it was wrong to lie to your superiors? “I need to stop Solum. He’s dangerous, and if he’s unchecked, he could kill more people.”

“What does this have to do with you sneaking into the records office?” He pointed to her hand over her stomach. “And that. Don’t think I don’t see you holding something in there.” 

“I’ll put it back!” she said, taking it out of her jacket. “It’s… It’s the first pyroma victim’s file. I needed to know where he lived so I could find Solum.”

“...What’s Solum doing with the patient?”

Allie sighed. “It’s a long story. A long, long story. I need to hurry so I can--”

“Stop him?” he asked. “Look, Allie, I want to be as reasonable as possible right now. Playing devil’s advocate is never--”

“I already know. You think there’ll be a positive outcome to all of this. You didn’t like what they did, but you’re just going to let them keep going,” she said, her eyes burning with resolve.

“How do… Ugh, it doesn’t matter now, I suppose.” He rubbed his face in embarrassment. “Tract promised no more blood would be shed. He’s my colleague, Allie. I believe him.”

“He works for a madman. You haven’t seen Solum like I have--you haven’t seen  _ Tract _ like I have. The things they’re capable of. They’re not who you think they are. They play by their own rules, operating outside of the law, outside of  _ morality _ .”

“Breaking into offices, people’s homes, and stealing sensitive patient information isn’t exactly what I could call morally or legally just, either,” he said.

“Really?” she said, almost wanting to shake her head. “That’s a hell of a false equivalence if I’ve ever heard one. We-- _ I _ \-- do this to  _ stop _ them. My goal isn’t to hurt anyone,” she said, trying her best not to remember what she did to Tract. “I’m fighting for what’s right. To stop more blood from being shed. Sometimes that means operating outside of the law, or doing something that most would deem as ‘wrong’ then.”

“But Solum has to be close to what he’s going for. Tract said he was, and I trust him. I’ve known him for years, Allie. He wouldn’t lie to me about this,” Yuvo insisted. 

“Maybe not lie, but he’s definitely not right. I already know Solum’s work is flawed, and I can put an end to this once and for all. I need to catch him before he--”

“Allie,” Yuvo huffed. “No more bloodshed. Nobody can get hurt.”

“I… I can’t guarantee it. If Solum needs to be stopped, I’ll do what it takes. I won’t kill him, but…” She paused. “Like I said, we-- _ I _ \-- will do what it takes to save innocent lives. This has to end, Dr. Yuvo. You know I’m right.”

“Allie, you’re studying to be a doctor. Doctors do no harm! You can’t harm someone in the name of justice or whatever you call this!”

“Do you hear yourself?!” she shouted. “You want me to overlook Solum’s atrocities just so he can have a  _ miniscule _ chance of bringing  _ some _ good? He can’t do what he wants. He’s going to  _ fail _ , Doctor! I have to stop him! If I don’t, he’s going to hurt--probably kill--more people. What kind of doctor would I be if I let him do that?! You can’t just hide behind your oath and hope for all of this to blow over, hope that it all works out. I’m taking a stand, and I’m going to do it, with or without your help!”

He paused, as if the words were caught in his throat. A pained look stretched across his face, contorting in uncomfortably. Then, without a word, he hugged Allie tightly. She could feel a single tear drop landing on her shoulder as he rubbed her back. “I’m so sorry, Allie. Time and time again I’ve failed you as a mentor. I’ve done everything wrong, start to finish.” He pulled away, wiping a tear from his eye as he sniffled. “And yet you’ve learned so much, despite my failings.”

“Dr. Yuvo…”

“Please, just Yuvo is fine.” He patted her on the shoulder. “The way I see it, though far from official, we’re on equal footing. You deserve it.”

Allie’s breaths grew shaky, her eyes welling up. She tried her best to hold it all back, but fell victim to her own emotions. She cried, hugging Yuvo again as she wept into his shoulder. “I… I can’t…”

“It’s okay,” he said, hugging her back tightly. “You’ve had a lot to hold onto. You can do this, Allie. I know you can.”

She pulled away, grabbing the patient’s folder. “Yeah, you’re right. I can do this. I  _ will _ do this.” 

“I just wish I could do more for you, Allie. I’ve been a rather… lackluster mentor,” he put his hands in his pockets, clearly uncomfortable. 

“There’s a  _ lot _ to say about that, but… I don’t think you’re as bad as you think you are,” she said.

“We can talk about it more when you’re done. We can go to that bar, and maybe this time you’ll actually eat something!”

Allie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yeah, maybe I will. Those fried cheese curds looked pretty good.”

“I’ll treat you to as many as you’d like, then,” he offered.

Allie grinned. “I’ll hold you to it, Yuvo.” 

She waved goodbye as she excused herself from the records office, folder in tow. This was the first victory she’d had in quite some time, she thought. She could convince Yuvo that she was doing the right thing. That this wasn’t completely pointless. That there was hope.

It was time to make a house call.


	21. Patient Zero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Allie finally confronts Solum.

Allie had been yawning for hours now. She lost track of how long she’d been awake for, but it didn’t matter. Even if she tried to sleep now, she couldn’t. Not when there was so much at stake, so much on the line. 

Allie stared up at the apartment building before her, address written down on a note in her hand. This was definitely the place, she thought. This was Marco DiSanto’s--the first pyroma victim’s--home. 

Donning her signature black hoodie and fox mask, she tapped on her ear piece. “Antonio?” 

“ _ I’m here. Need the doorman distracted? _ ”

Allie looked in through the window. A large and imposing door man sat in the lobby with his arms folded and legs kicked up on a desk, watching TV. Allie sized him up, realizing he was a rather muscular (or, in Hayley’s words, ‘swole’) Creaden. 

“How did you know there was a doorman?” she asked.

“ _ I’ve got cameras in there. _ ”

“...How?” she asked again.

“ _ One of my, er,  _ associates _ needed to do some  _ reconnaissance there _ a few months ago. My access still works, luckily. _ ”

Allie huffed. “I can hear your air quotes when you say associates and recon, Ante.”

“ _ Who cares if it was nefarious? It’s helping you now. _ ”

“And what good are cameras going to do with him sitting and watching TV?” she grumbled. “I can’t exactly sneak by him, now can I?”

“ _ You doubt me too much. Look up and to your right. _ ”

Allie did so, her eyes landing on a wall-mounted camera. It had looked just like the ones from movies, rotating around in a repetitive, half-circular motion. The red flashing light beneath the black lens suddenly stopped as the camera let out an audible groan. 

Reacting quickly, the guard huffed and looked over at the camera. He mumbled something under his breath before getting up and walking toward it.

“ _ I’m unlocking the door. Sneak by while his back is turned. _ ”

The door in front of Allie clicked. she grabbed the handle and let herself in quietly, shutting the door behind her. 

“ _ Oh, and thank me later. I’m still counting on you to give me a good referral at Astuva. _ ”

Allie rolled her eyes. She stepped quietly through the lobby, appreciating its carpeted floor for muffling her steps. Walking as quickly and as quietly as possible, she made her way to the stairs at the end of the hall. Now that she was far enough away, she opened the door and climbed up.

Marco’s room was on the second floor. She made her way to the door and opened it, stepping back into another hallway. The door on her right read ‘201’ and the one on her left read ‘202’. Marco’s room was ‘208’, so she had to go further down the hall.

Except she didn’t need to go very far. What she saw shouldn’t have surprised her, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but gasp. 

Solum stood in the hall, shouting something at the door in front of him. Judging by where he stood, Allie guessed he was near room 208. She ducked behind one of the pillars to hide, trying to listen in.

Solum spoke. “I’m here to  _ help _ you, Mrs. DiSanto. I’ve had a massive breakthrough in our research, and--”

He was cut off by whoever was yelling back at him. Allie couldn’t quite hear, but she imagined whoever it was, she was  _ pissed _ . 

“I can return his affinity to how it was before. He had the, the uh, the water manipulation one, correct? Water gravity?” He paused. “Listen, I can bring it back. I can undo the wrongs I’ve done--”

His voice was interrupted once more. Allie chanced a look at his face--she could see the desperation in his movements, the way he pleaded and almost looked to be begging. She was surprised he wasn’t on his knees.

“Proof…? I mean, I haven’t exactly performed this  _ yet _ , but I was hoping Marco would…”

The female voice was extremely loud--loud enough for Allie to hear clearly. “My spouse is not your guinea pig! If you think for a  _ second _ I’ll let you so much as  _ breathe  _ his  _ air _ , I will personally hang you with your tie!”

“How much worse can I even make it for him?!” Solum cried. “He has nothing left to lose, so he should be  _ honored _ for the opportunity. The gods chose  _ me _ to spread their word once more to the people of this world. You are, quite literally, standing in the way of progress!”

Allie saw a foot shoot out from the doorway, kicking Solum hard in the stomach as the door slammed shut.

Solum fell backwards, landing on his ass as he stared at the door, dumbfounded. He helped himself up, dusting the dirt off his already ragged clothes. His trench coat looked even more roughed up than it had on the train, sporting new stains and rips in the fabric. His tie was on the verge of disintegrating outright. The collared shirt underneath it all had not fared much better, as it was covered in just as many stains as his coat.

Allie made her approach, her footsteps echoing loudly in the hallway. “Solum,” she said, stopping a few feet away from him. “Stop this, please.”

Solum staggered back, leaning against the wall behind him as his eyes bulged out of his head. “You! You… masked demon. You’re haunting me, I know it.”

“Don’t you understand what you’re doing, Solum?” Allie stepped closer. “The damage has been done. These people don’t  _ want _ your help. They want peace, time to grieve for their loss. If you have any sense left, you’ll stop this madness and  _ let them grieve _ .”

Solum slid against the wall and staggered further back into the hallway, keeping his distance from her. “You don’t know the meaning of grief, you merciless devil. What would  _ you _ know about sacrifice? About putting your all into a single goal? You’ve done  _ nothing _ except stifle progress.” He pointed at her with a shaky finger. “You’re the worst kind of person there is. Hypocritical, unable to think about the big picture. You just want to drag others down to your level. Well,” he pointed at himself. “I climbed the tallest mountain in Omnia. I saw things that no other living mortal has seen. What have  _ you _ sacrificed?”

Allie almost wanted to laugh. Instead, she rolled up her left sleeve, revealing her prosthetic in all its glory. She could see Solum look at it intently, taking a subconscious step forward. Wiggling her fingers, she spoke, “Your subordinate nearly killed me. I had fought so hard to save my friend, and I nearly paid the ultimate price for it.” 

“I see,” he said, unmoving. 

“Do you?” Allie approached, her prosthetic outstretched. “Take a good look, Solum. This is what your research has brought. Destruction, dismemberment, and nothing to show for it. Understand that going any further will only perpetuate this cycle,” she said with her prosthetic finger pointed right into his chest.

Solum clutched Allie’s prosthetic wrist. “So you know it too, then. The feeling of losing everything, being at your lowest low.” He nodded solemnly before yanking on her arm. 

Allie could almost  _ feel _ the circuits and wires in her prosthetic being torn and ripped. How in the  _ world _ did he still have that much strength? She grabbed the base of her arm, resisting his pull to no avail. 

Solum’s grip outlasted Allie’s, and he had emerged the victor. He tore the prosthetic out from its base on her elbow, causing some electricity to discharge wildly from the now exposed wires. “This is only the beginning, you one-armed demon. May we never cross paths again.”

Allie spat. “I don’t need both arms to catch you, Solum. If anything, you’ve just  _ evened the odds _ .”

Solum threw the prosthetic on the floor and crushed it underfoot. “We shall let the gods decide that.” He turned around quickly and ran down the hall and disappeared into one of the doors. 

Looking down at her now destroyed prosthetic, she sighed. “Hayley, you there?” 

“ _...Hey, yeah. He ran off? _ ”

“As expected. He’s heading towards the north exit, probably going out that way too. You got cameras on the street?” she asked.

“ _ With a little bit of help from one himbo, I do! _ ”

Allie could hear Antonio complaining, but ignored him. “Great. Keep an eye on him. If he’s anything like me, he’s probably exhausted. I can’t imagine he’ll get far.”

“ _ Oh, definitely. But I have to ask… _ ”

There was a hint of… concern (was that the world, she thought?) in Hayley’s voice. She hadn’t heard her talk like that in weeks. “Something wrong, Hay? Talk to me while I trail him.”

Hayley hesitated. “ _ I don’t know. Is now really the best time? _ ”

“Anytime is a good time if it’s for you,” Allie said, shoving her broken arm into her hoodie pouch. She jogged as she followed Solum’s path out of the apartment complex, following Hayley’s instructions. She would go faster, but she was already running on fumes. 

The door leading out of the apartment had been crudely barricaded by a knocked over bookshelf. It was clear who did it, along with why, Allie thought. Lifting it with one arm would be difficult for her, but decided to give it a try anyway. She wedged her foot between the shelf and the floor, using her lower body strength to lift it up just enough for her hand to grip the edge. She then lifted it as high as she could, just enough to slip beneath it and finish lifting it up with her back.

The shelf wobbled as it balanced itself upright, a few books and other knick knacks falling over in the process. She’d pick them up, but she was kind of on the tail of an extremely dangerous madman.

“I’m getting good at this one-armed thing,” she muttered to herself. “Hayley, where is he?”

“ _He has a head start, but we have street cams. There’s not too many, but we have enough to get a rough idea where he’s going. Antonio’s working with one of his ‘buddies’ to help._ _After all, a tired Solum is an easier-to-deal-with Solum. With that said…_ ”

“...Go on?” 

“ _ Promise you won’t hate me? _ ” Hayley asked.

Allie took a deep breath as she sauntered through the city streets. She managed to turn some heads, considering she was wearing a fox mask with bright red eyes and also had only one arm. However, despite all of that, she didn’t register the worried glances of passersby; she was far too focused on Hayley to consider anything else. “Promise.”

“ _ Alright. So, I’ve been thinking for a while now, and I really need your help. Like, bad. _ ”

“What’s wrong?” 

Hayley took a long and exasperated breath, as if it were the hardest thing in the world. “ _ I want Solum to help me get my affinity back. I-I know how crazy it sounds, and after all we’ve been through, but I can’t help thinking about it. Constantly. Day in and day out, my mind always circles back to him and what he can do to help me. To save me from my own damn mind torturing me. _ ”

“Hayley, I had no idea. You--”

“ _ I was hoping you’d never find out, but I’m really sorry. I know you’re probably already hating me, especially after everything. Trust me, I hate myself for even thinking about it, let alone wanting to consider it. _ ”

Allie stopped dead in her tracks. “I don’t hate you. If I were you, I would feel the same. You know, when I first lost my arm, I didn’t even want my prosthetic. I just wanted my original arm back.”

“ _ I appreciate the thought, but at the same time… it doesn’t really help me. Like, I know you’re trying to level with me, but.. _ ” She sighed. “ _ I don’t know. I’m probably not making any sense. _ ”

Allie resumed her jog. “No, no! What I meant was, like, you lost a part of yourself. And you  _ know _ you won’t get it back, but you just feel incomplete without it. You want the original, not a shoddy recreation of it. My prosthetic isn’t my arm, but…” Allie looked down at her stub as she continued walking. “It’s all I have left. And now I don’t even have that.”

“ _ I just can’t get over it, Allie. No matter how hard I try, no matter what I do, nothing fills the void. _ ”

“Nothing ever really will, Hay,” she said. “It’s just going to be this big, empty hole that just… lurks inside you. I wouldn’t say I’m comfortable yet with who I am now, but I’m getting better every day, bit by bit. At least, that’s what I think. Progress isn’t really so simple.”

“ _ I don’t feel any better about it, though. I feel just as bad--maybe even worse. I can’t escape it, Allie. I want to put my mind off of it, but it’s all I can think about. I can’t stop. I didn’t want to make you upset or feel any worse, especially with everything that’s been going on. Under different circumstances, maybe I’d have mentioned this earlier. But just… I don’t know, shit’s so heavy. I can’t pretend it’s not a problem anymore. _ ”

“We’re living in really fucking crazy times, Hay. You got mad scientists running around after climbing mountains and eating rocks, of course shit’s gonna be heavy. But we’re not dealing with alone, now are we? Hell, if Solum could’ve gotten me my arm back, I bet I would’ve considered it too. I can’t fault you for any of this, Hay,” she said, banking a right to keep up with Solum. She could see him in the distance--no more than two hundred meters or so away. 

“ _ Really? _ ”

“Really.”

“ _ I just… I’m so scared, Allie. What if losing my affinity has other complications? What if shit gets worse later in life? How can anything be the same anymore after all this? _ ”

“I’m scared too, Hay.” Allie’s breaths were stilted, awkward. “Gods only know what’s in store for us, but we’re facing it together. We’re inseparable and stronger than whatever bullshit Solum believes.”

Hayley sniffled, taking a moment to regain her composure. “ _ Thank you. I feel… a little better. I’m gonna need a shit ton of therapy when this is all said and done, huh? _ ”

“You and me both.”

“ _ I can’t thank you enough. Shit’s been rough, and I really don’t know when I’ll ever feel just, you know, normal again. I may never be normal, things may never be as they were. But life goes on, I guess. Having you around makes the difference, Allie. _ ”

“Same for you, Hay. Knowing we’re both in this together kinda just makes things a bit easier. And really, I can’t ask for more.”

“ _ That’s probably the gayest thing you’ve said to me. _ ”

Allie scoffed. “No way.”

Antonio coughed abruptly. “ _ Not to interrupt, uh, whatever this is, but Solum’s heading towards the cathedral down the road. _ ”

Allie looked up in front of her. The way she was heading would lead her right to a grand cathedral at the end of the road. It was hard to miss with its, in Allie’s words, ‘offensively gothic’ architecture. Its stone pillars, faded stained-glass windows, two large pointed spires, and massive arches all painted a very particular image in Allie’s mind. Of course Solum would go there, she thought.

“I see it. Where is he now?” she asked.

“ _ Climbing up the front stairs. You can probably see him if you look closely, _ ” he answered.

Allie continued her pursuit, poking her head over the crowd before her. Antonio was right--she could see a hobbled figure with a dirtied trench coat stumble his way up the stairs. How he could even run at all boggled her mind. If she were running on fumes, he must’ve been running on his fumes’ fumes. 

Hayley spoke up. “ _ You’re thinking it too, aren’t you, Allie? He’s fast, somehow. _ ”

“More affinity bullshit?” she wondered.

“ _ Can’t rule it out _ ,” Antonio said. “ _ Gods only know what kind of shit he’s been pumping into himself. He’s probably gonna collapse as soon as he goes inside _ .”

“If only we were so lucky,” she groaned. “If I learned anything about Solum these past few weeks, it’s that he just doesn’t stop.”

Hayley giggled. “ _ Kinda like you, huh? You must be exhausted too. _ ”

Allie didn’t reply. She had no idea what she would say. Should she admit she was about to collapse as well? Or should she lie to make Hayley feel a bit more comfortable? Of course, she wouldn’t want to lie to her friend, especially after the heart-to-heart they just had.

“ _ Wait _ ,” Antonio’s voice cut off her train of thought. “ _ Don’t go in there _ .”

“Why not?” Allie asked.

“ _ I don’t have any cameras on the inside. Leave it to the cathedrals to have lax--or rather, no--security. I’ve got no clue if he’s planning an ambush or something _ .”

Allie huffed. “This guy’s high on mountain rocks. I don’t think he can plan that far in advance.”

“ _I wouldn’t want to chance it, Allie_ ,” Hayley said. “ _We could wait for him to come back out. He has to eventually, right_?”

“Do we have any cameras on the back door? Any other points of escape for him?” she asked.

Antonio sighed. “ _ They’re too fuzzy. Either really old cameras or their signal is just crap. _ ”

“I can’t really watch all the exits at once, especially if you two can’t see well either.” Allie thought about her potential options. 

She could just barge right in and potentially walk into an ambush with no security or safety net, she could wait and allow him to sneak out the back door, or she could sneak around the back and get ambushed or let him leave through the front.

None of these were very favorable options, she concluded. But the more she tried to think of alternatives, the more her head started to hurt. Her lack of sleep and rest was starting to catch up to her as a thick fog rolled through her mind. Trying to think reasonably felt like throwing a dart underwater, and having both Hayley and Antonio in her ears didn’t help her think either.

What the hell was a one-armed and barely educated insomniac supposed to do against a madman like Solum? Despite having the backing of two of her friends, she had never felt more alone than she did now. 

“Wait…” Allie muttered. A light of inspiration, a flash of brilliance, however brief and however faint it was, coursed through her. In the corner of her eye, she saw her plan spring to life. 

“Guys,” she said. “I have an idea.”


	22. Apex of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Solum learns the true meaning of fear.

The cathedral was barren, empty, lifeless. Of course it would be. Not many people believed anymore, never mind the fact that worship was not scheduled until at least a few days later. There was neither a priest nor even a sanitation worker to be found, not a soul except for his own. The pews were empty, all that lay on their hardwood surfaces were crimson cushions. 

Solum hated it. These seats should be packed, overflowing, even. Why couldn’t the people be thankful for the gods? Even if they were not Creaden or Simenti, surely they should give their thanks to the gods for creating this world--the one they inhabit. 

It didn’t matter. Once he finished his research, he would ensure every last seat in this cathedral would be filled. Everyone could finally see the benevolence the gods had intended. It was only a matter of time now, all he would need to do is rid himself of the demon chasing him.

He couldn’t understand the one-armed demon’s insistence that his work was flawed. That his work was inherently corrupt and destined to be destroyed. To come this far only to throw it all away would be the greatest sin of all. 

He glanced around the empty cathedral, desperately looking for a means of escape. He had no idea what the demon was capable of. It wouldn’t stop following him, no matter how desperately he tried to escape. 

But desperate times called for desperate measures. He trudged through the hopelessly barren cathedral, down the nave, his legs feeling more and more like cinder blocks with each passing minute. His eyelids were weighing him down. There were layers of sweat caked into his fur, but they were the only source of water his fur had seen in some time. It was the only reason he wasn’t  _ completely _ covered in dirt. 

He made his way to the altar where a bowl of holy water awaited him. He grabbed the bowl with both hands and dunked his head inside, splashing the altar. He breathed in sharply, drinking in a huge gulp of what tasted an awful lot like the ocean. But it didn’t matter. 

Pulling his head out, he gasped for air. He felt refreshed, relaxed, and more importantly, composed. It was as if the gods themselves gave him their blessing with this gift. 

Traditionally, holy water was said to be blessed by the Simenti goddess herself, as she had domain over water affinities. But just as there was holy water, there was also holy flame and holy earth. 

It was a lot harder to make the less tangible ‘holy.’ Solum always pondered how one could make holy space or holy time, but perhaps that line of thinking would be best saved for another day. A day when he wasn’t being hounded by masked demons.

With newfound strength, Solum took in his environment. He saw a door leading deeper into the cathedral to his left.  _ Surely my little pursuer wouldn’t think to follow me this way _ , he thought. He stumbled down the altar and grasped at the handle, opening the door and stepping into a stairwell. The walls were slick with a light moss covering the faded-gray stones behind it, and the stairs were well-worn hardwood. 

He grabbed the wooden railing with a tight grip. Splinters dug into his fur, but he didn’t notice or feel them. He marched up the stairs as the aged wood creaked underfoot. As he ascended, the railing broke off and crumbled. The thought gave him an idea, however. He turned around and grabbed a chunk of broken railing and wedged it into the door handle, acting as a makeshift blockade. 

Even the worn-out and broken had their uses. 

His breaths were labored and strained. Climbing a mountain had felt so much easier than climbing a set of stairs. Back then, he had been so much more motivated, so determined. Now what was he? Even he knew how much his body was failing him. Somehow, he managed to climb three flights before stopping for a break, panting and wheezing. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees as sweat dripped from his brow--or was it holy water? He couldn’t tell.

Ahead of him was a single stair with a large hole in the center. He climbed past it and, once he was out of the way, stomped near the cracks, causing the board to crumble. Of course, this little trap would be all for naught if his pursuer could simply  _ see _ it coming.

He reached up and smashed out the nearby light fixture with his hand, digging glass shards into his fists. It didn’t hurt. How could it? He knew the demon would fall to its demise here. 

If the demon truly was relentless, Solum had no choice. It must be stopped here and now, or he would never be truly free.  _ By any means necessary _ , he thought. No matter how exhausted he felt, no matter how much he would have to sacrifice, his work must be done.

Looking upward, the stairs swirled around above him for another dozen flights. He knew he needed to reach the top if he had any chance of escape. Once he did, and the demon inevitably followed him up here, he would simply float down to safety and flee. Affinity willing, of course.

But that was why he kept a stash of mountain rocks in his coat pocket. He tapped the pocket reassuringly, feeling their comforting weight. It was just another reminder the gods were watching over him. 

And for them, he’d do anything.

He climbed higher and higher, pushing onward despite his body screaming for him to stop.  _ The gods would never stop _ , he thought.  _ They were above such frivolous, earthly needs _ . As he reached the final stairs, he tripped, stumbling forward onto the platform ahead. His face slammed the ground hard, leaving a slight scrape on his cheek. 

As he picked himself up, he could feel a bump forming on his forehead.  _ No matter _ , he thought. As long as he drew breath and had a pulse, he would continue. 

Having reached the top of the spire, Solum could see the large, stained-glass walls surrounding him. He stood on a platform that was completely encased with large murals of the goddesses, or at least what the people commonly expected them to look like. 

“Of course they would miss the tiny details,” he complained. Any religious figures would be warped and distorted over time, but Solum knew the truth. He wasn’t even a Creaden nor a Simenti, and yet he thought himself the most faithful of all. 

He touched his hand against the glass, feeling the cold against his matted fur. The city below looked so small, so insignificant. Was this what the gods felt like, he thought? Watching from above in reverence? Were they proud of his work? How much did they notice him at all, let alone his work?

“Ridiculous. The gods guide me in everything they do,” he chuckled. And soon, he would finally see their will done. He was so close to the end that he could feel it, like he felt the glass in front of him. It was in sight, but just out of reach. 

“The last step. Once my affinity is controlled, once I can harness these rocks, I can finally bring this to an end.” 

Solum took a small, golf ball-sized rock out of his coat pocket. He stared at it in his palm intently, as if his gaze could shatter it. Without hesitation, he shoved it into his mouth and chewed the rock, his teeth crushing the rock into smaller chunks as dirt and dust coated his teeth and tongue. Loud cracks escaped his jaw; whether they were the rock or his teeth, he couldn’t quite tell. 

He swallowed the remnants, feeling them scratch his throat on the way down. That should be enough to buy him some time, assuming the demon did follow him up here. In fact, now that he thought about it, how did it not follow him already? It was always so hot on his tail; how come it hadn’t up to him? 

He turned around, seeing nothing and nobody behind him. The wind outside the spire howled, but there were no other noises to be heard. He was alone. 

He turned back around and stared out the window. Although his view was partially obstructed by the stained glass, he could see parts of the city beneath him. He still couldn’t process what the gods could see, how they could watch from above and yet be so involved in his life. It was truly remarkable, he thought.

“Solum,” a distorted voice called out from behind him.

He spun around violently, his fur standing on end. “You,” he hissed. “How did you even get up here?”

The demon stood before him, fox mask and all. It still wore its black hoodie and pants, but its missing left arm stood out as the hoodie’s sleeve was rolled up into a bun. The ends were stained red with fresh blood.

Solum pointed. “Haven’t you chased me enough? What do you hope to accomplish? The worst has been done, and you can’t change that.” He paused. “You just want your petty revenge, don’t you? Throw me down the stairs, choke me, you want to squeeze the life out of me, is that it?”

“You would be so lucky to have an easy way out,” it answered. “There’s no outcome where you win here, Solum. You’ve played your cards and made your moves, but it was all for naught.”

“You really think this is where it ends? That this is how it’ll go? I will not give myself up, not to someone like you. I answer only to the gods, and the gods will see my work done, even if it means I should perish in the process.”

The demon sighed, its sigh robotic. “You really just talk out of your ass, don’t you? I’ll be blunt: you’re fucking crazy.”

“Crazy?! I’m the crazy one here?! I’m the only sane person in this cathedral!”

The demon took a step closer. “I’m crazy, too. We at least share that in common. How many people would chase you after you tear off their arm?”

Solum kept his eye on the demon’s feet. He could see it approaching him, causing him to take a step back towards the stained glass. “When you feel as strongly as I do, pain becomes irrelevant.”

“Surely you understand just how intent I am to stop you, then?” it asked.

“I’m afraid my will shall overpower yours, heathen. I’m prepared to stop you by any means necessary should it come to it.” He stepped backwards, his shoe bumping into a loose plank of wood beneath him.

“And you still won’t listen to what I have to tell you, then? How your research is inherently flawed, and that you will never see it done without what I have in my possession?” 

Solum huffed. “As if you could ever have anything of the gods’ on you. They would never entrust you with their gifts. You would be lucky to have an affinity at all.”

The demon laughed. “There is so much about me you don’t know, and if you stop me, you’ll live the rest of your life without knowing if I was telling the truth. Do you want that to weigh on your conscience, Solum?”

“I am not some pig you can goad with a carrot on a stick! You’ve no intention of giving them to me anyway, so why should I entertain your sick games?”

“You don’t intend on hearing me out either, so I think we’re at an impasse here.” 

Solum stepped back again, closer to the loose plank of wood. “Then surely you understand why I must continue, then? Just as you are unyielding in your beliefs, I, too, will endeavor to see my work done. I’m afraid that my will outweighs yours.”

It took another step closer. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You’re just a killer cowering behind your beliefs, hiding behind your gods that don’t care about you.” It paused. “There’ve been so many like you. The gods must be sick of your type. Being honest with yourself--now that’s something the gods like.”

“Who are  _ you _ to decree what the gods do or not approve of?!” Solum’s voice cracked, his throat scratched up. “You are nothing more than a pest in the way of progress, just as there always has been!”

“Maybe I am,” it said, stepping even closer to him. “And I will never stop chasing you. Not until this is over, Solum.” The demon was now just a couple of inches from him. 

He would be intimidated if he weren’t so confident. Solum’s back pressed against the glass behind him, unable to back away further. He ducked down suddenly and ripped the loose floorboard out from below in one swift motion. Before the demon could react, he swung the plank upward, forcing it to stumble back and away from him. 

“By the gods, I will end your miserable existence,” Solum said, bringing the board down over the demon’s head. The plank cracked in half over the mask’s fox ears, leaving only splinters behind. He didn’t care who the demon was, that had to hurt. 

Somehow, it didn’t seem to care that it just had a plank of wood shattered over its head. It just stared at him with its uncomfortably bright crimson eyes as if nothing had happened. The demon reached its only arm out towards him, trying to claw at his jacket. However, Solum anticipated the move and grabbed its wrist, twisting it and yanking the demon towards him. He stepped to the side, shoving it back against the glass wall. 

“I have the upper hand,” he growled, grasping the demon’s jacket tightly. “Swear you will leave me alone.”

It tried, in vain, to break Solum’s grasp. He was still somehow able to overpower it, despite his exhaustion. “I… will  _ never _ … let you get away.”

Solum frowned. “Pity. Because I  _ will _ let you go.” 

He pulled his hand back, yanking the demon towards him, only to push it back towards the glass. The demon’s body shattered the mural into hundreds of fragments as Solum let go. Its body crashed through the glass and fell out of the cathedral’s spire, dropping like a pathetic rock as it hurdled towards the ground. 

There was no screaming to be heard. After the initial glass shattering, it was eerily quiet, save for the sound of gusting wind. Solum could feel his heart beating out of his chest as he looked down towards the ground through the hole in the glass. The demon's body continued freefalling until…

Until he couldn’t look at it anymore. He pulled himself back and fell backwards onto the floor, laying atop glass fragments. They dug into his back and legs, but he didn’t feel them. Instead, all he felt was…

What was it he felt? It was a sensation he hadn’t quite experienced yet. Was it good? 

“No…” he gasped. He flipped onto his stomach and crawled along the floor, trying to poke his head over to the ground below. Before he could, however, he pulled himself back, unable to look. 

He already knew what awaited him below. He didn’t need to see it.  _ Of course _ , he thought.  _ Just another sacrifice on the road to salvation _ . It didn’t bother him at all to get his hands dirty this time. 

It didn’t bother him, he thought. He felt fine. This was good, even. He had finally rid himself of the pest that had been plaguing him for weeks. With no obstacles in his way, he could  _ finally _ see his research completed. His terrible, terrible work would now be done. All would be forgiven. The hardest part was over now, and all he could do was look ahead.

He thought back on his visit to one of his ‘patients’--Marco DiSanto--or at least, his apartment. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to help him. Recovering his affinity would be just the first step, of course. To think that would cure his trauma would be foolish. But he could still make things right, or at least as right as they could be.

Solum slowly lifted himself off the floor. He could feel the blood rushing in his head, making him feel dizzy. How easy it would have been, he thought, to sleep on the floor right then and there. It was tempting, but he had work to do. There would be time to rest once he was done.

But the voice of doubt clouded his mind once more. His work was so close, and yet he couldn’t help but feel it was still a ways from completion. 

What if the demon really  _ did _ have the legendary gemstones? What if he threw away his only chance at salvation, at making things right? In the heat of the moment, he hadn’t quite anticipated its words haunting his thoughts. 

Solum tried to stand up but quickly crumbled to his knees. He stared at his hands, and while they weren’t exactly spotless, he couldn’t help but feel they had been dirtied. Dirtied by blood shed by the masked… masked…

“Who would dare go to such lengths to stop me?” he asked himself. He was having a harder time calling it a demon, let alone an “it” at all. Whoever  _ they _ were, they were intent on… something. 

He could feel his conviction wavering. Why would anyone risk their life so deliberately and willingly? Who would ever try and confront him like this?

Why did he kill them?

The words sent pangs of disgust through his stomach. He’d killed them. There was no mistaking it this time, he realized.

“That’s absurd. It was a demon and nothing more. My research will be concluded, and all will be set right,” he said, trying to convince himself. “There was no other way. It--they--said we were at an impasse. This was only ever going to end in bloodshed.”

Solum staggered to his feet again. The sound of glass crunching underfoot was the only noise he heard, aside from his heartbeat. His heart felt as though it could burst out of his chest at any moment. A lot had happened here, and he would need time to unpack it all.

And then the sound of footsteps disturbed his thoughts. He could hear heavy and deliberate steps coming from the stairwell below. He spun around quickly, catching a glimpse at the figure ascending the stairs.

It was the masked demon. That piercing red gaze through that fox mask--he could never mistake it for anything else. They marched towards him, unrelenting.

“S-stay back!” he shouted. He reached down for a shard of glass as a makeshift shiv, but stumbled over in the process. 

“You wound me, Solum,” they said. “Was throwing me off the side of the building not enough?”

“You’re not real! You couldn’t have survived that fall!” He grabbed the shard of glass and stood up, holding it out at arm’s length.

They walked forward and grabbed Solum’s wrist, bringing his hand to their chest. The glass fragment dug into their jacket. “If you could do it once, do it again. Kill me, Solum. This time, make sure you don’t turn your back on the body.”

“Y-you aren’t… you can’t be…” His grip faltered, his hand shook uncontrollably. He was staring at a ghost that dared him to kill them again.  _ This couldn’t be real _ , he thought.  _ This was all just a dream _ . 

“Not so strong in your beliefs now, are you? What happened to the gods that loved you? Where are they now?”

Solum hesitated. Sweat poured down his face, leaving trails in his dirtied fur. His hand was so close to their chest that he could feel their heartbeat. They were very much alive, he realized. 

He didn’t understand. He had never been so scared in his life. 


	23. Black Hornet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, a certain someone gets put to rest.

_ Earlier _

This had to have been the riskiest, scariest, and quite possibly the  _ stupidest _ gambit Allie had ever devised. But as soon as she saw that familiar figure in the distance, she knew it was the only way.

Allie rounded the cathedral corner, only to be greeted with a familiar sight. Shanalotte rested their back against the wall with their arms folded casually, as if they were expecting her to arrive. Their light-grey hoodie looked somehow pristine and yet retro, as if it was years old. 

“Situation that bad?” they asked, standing up straight.

Allie removed her fox mask, taking a breath as she did. “You’ve been watching this whole time, haven’t you?”

Shan shrugged. “Less watching, more… observing.”

“That means the same thing.”

“You oughta respect your elders, especially one you need help from,” they retorted.

Allie’s quick-witted reply was interrupted by her obnoxious yawn, causing whatever coolness she had to fade like smoke into the wind. “Sorry, I…”

“I heard. Solum’s in the cathedral. Bet you anything he’s trying to stop you from following him,” they said.

“How’d you hear that?”

Shanalotte tapped their ear. “You and your friends are  _ extremely _ noisy. You’re all over dozens of frequencies. Never thought to encrypt your transmissions? Even in  _ my _ day we--”

“I really don’t want to get lectured about radios from someone who was around when they were first invented.”

Shan rolled their eyes. “I’ll have you know they were invented as I was born, but I’m not about to give you a full lecture on the history of technology. How can I help?”

“I need to stop Solum,” she said, bluntly. 

Shan’s eyes glimmered for a second. Allie could see the idea enter their mind, and she knew she had to dissuade it immediately. 

“No, not murder,” she clarified. 

“Pacifist route? I can do that, too.” Shan’s hand rested on their hip. “What’s your slick idea? Or do you need help with that, too?”

Allie cleared her throat, somehow feeling embarrassed about the idea. “Well, you know how this was your mask, before you gave it to me?”

“Well, I stole it from--”

“Anyway! Point is that you can take it back, put it on, and look a lot like me. We’ve both got dark hoodies, too, so I think Solum won’t notice the difference. It’d help if we put a lot of pressure on him too, make sure he doesn’t realize he’s being duped.”

“So you want both of us to go confront him? Why?” they asked. “We could just, you know, overpower him.”

Allie rubbed her face. “It’s not that easy. Solum’s the kind of guy who won’t give up on his goals unless he’s  _ convinced _ to. I’ve tried, but I think he needs to see the error of his ways for himself. Up close and personal, if you catch my drift.”

Shan nodded along to her explanation. “If only religious shit-heads listened to reason more often. Would’ve saved me a lot of grief years ago.”

“Solum’s… not as invincible as he thinks he is. He’s not above what he’s done, and I think if he’s forced to confront his terrible deeds, he’ll realize he needs to stop.”

“And if that fails?”

Allie shook her head. “It won’t come to that. All we need to do is set up the swap, and the rest will fall into place.”

“How are you so sure?” Shan asked. “You can’t rely on these gambits without knowing your target’s psyche and mental state in-and-out.”

“I know, and that’s why I think it’ll work. I’ve spoken with Solum enough to know he has  _ some _ level of rational thought in there. He just needs to experience his horror firsthand. He can reason everything away, chalk it up to ‘necessary sacrifices’--but we’ll see how necessary they are when he’s pushed over the edge.”

“I thought you said no murder?”

“ _ Metaphorically _ pushed over the edge.” 

Shan grinned, then chuckled heartily. “You’re pretty damn convinced this’ll work. I can’t guarantee shit, but hey, this’ll be fun. If nothing else, the look on his face would be worth it.”

“So you agree to let him kill you, make you think he’s really and truly ‘killed’ someone, and then I swoop in to scare the shit out of him?” Allie asked.

Shan paused. “Oh. So you’re gonna have him  _ literally _ push me over the edge?”

“I mean… if you can chase him up the spire, or something? Really, he just needs to think that he’s killed you, and then I can take care of the rest,” she explained.

“You’re asking a lot out of me here,” they said, their eyes rolling and their arms folded. “I mean, you want me to hurl myself off a building for a plan that  _ might _ work.”

Allie paused, unsure how to answer.

“But hey, I live for ‘maybe.’ If this works, you’ll be the ballsiest bitch to walk this side of the continent,” they admitted.

“Oh, please. I’m not the one who’s gonna die. If anything, I’m a coward,” Allie blushed awkwardly, trying to cover it with her hand.

Shan grabbed her by the shoulder and looked her in the eye. “Hey, I don’t wanna hear that. You’re fighting the good fight. This is what I live for, and I guess what you live for, too. Being a doctor’s all well and good, healing people, but sometimes you gotta get your hands…” Shan looked at Allie’s stump. “Er,  _ hand _ , dirty. And on that note…”

Shan stepped back, reaching into their side pouch. They pulled out a butterfly knife, short and easily concealable. They rolled up their left arm sleeve and stabbed the blade into their elbow, wiggling it between their forearm and bicep. They bit their lip hard as the blade worked its way deeper, cutting large chunks of flesh and muscle away. “Gotta make it convincing, you know?! Solum’s gonna notice if I have two arms!”

“Holy  _ shit _ ,” Allie gasped. 

The pain wasn’t anything new for them. Their only regret so far was not bringing a bigger knife. Shan agonized as they dug their pathetically dull blade between their bones, cutting all the nerves, ligaments, and fibers connecting their forearm to their upper arm. The sound of metal scraping against bone grated their ears, like nails on a chalkboard except  _ it’s coming from their arm _ .

The arm fell to the ground with a wet slap, blood pooling and congealing around it. Shan looked down and grabbed their arm and held it out towards Allie. “Drop this?” they asked.

“Shanalotte, for  _ fuck’s _ sake, you gotta stop the blood flow! Holy _ shit _ . I don’t care if you’re immortal, you’re gonna bleed out!” 

They laughed, dropping the arm on the floor. “Relax. This ain’t the first limb I’ve lost. See?” They aimed the bloodied mess of what was once their elbow at Allie.

As much as she wanted to look away, she couldn’t. Allie stared at what was supposed to be a mess of blood and bone, a red circle dotted with torn muscle fibers. Instead, what she saw was a patch of messy skin, encircling the massive cut they had just made.

“I know, right?” they nodded, as if showing off a magic trick. “Got about forty minutes before the hand starts to form. Clock’s ticking, Allie.”

“That’s… If I weren’t so disgusted, exhausted, and stressed, I would be studying the hell out of you. But we’ve got work to do, you’re right,” Allie said, resisting the urge to vomit. “What… what about the arm, though?”

Shan looked down at their arm and kicked it into a nearby bush. “I’ll come back for it later. Maybe the birds will get to it. I don’t really care. I’ve left some body parts around before, never been an issue.”

“You’re disgusting. Let’s get going.”

*************************************************************************************************************

“Where are they, Solum? Your gods aren’t here to save you now,” Allie said, her voice pitched down and roboticized by her fox mask.

Solum’s sweat only served to drench his fur even more, making him feel almost slippery to the touch. “Y-You can’t be here. I watched you  _ die _ !”

“And yet here I am. Kill me as many times as you want--I’ll still hunt you down. Do you think you can do it again?” Allie’s grasp on Solum’s wrist tightened as she pressed his hand to her chest. “Kill me, Solum. Stare me in the eye and kill me again.”

His hands shook, desperate for release. “Unhand me! I will do no such thing!”

“Un _ hand _ you?” she snickered. “You already did that to me, perhaps I should return the favor?” She glanced down at a shard of glass near their feet. 

Solum’s eyes followed her gaze downward. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“What’s the matter, Solum? Cold feet?” Allie let go of his arm and ripped the mask off, tossing it aside. “Look me in the eyes and kill me,” she said, her voice now unfiltered. 

Solum stepped back, falling on his ass. He slid away from her until he reached the edge, very nearly falling off. His back dangled precariously out of the now-exposed stained-glass mural, and the thought of being the next warm body to fly through it terrified him.

Allie stomped towards him, crushing glass underfoot. “Not so confident now that you have to look your victims in the eyes, are you?” Allie grabbed him by the collar, yanking him like a ragdoll. 

Solum’s body flopped forward, landing face-first on some glass. His entire body convulsed and shivered uncontrollably, as if thrust into an arctic basin. He covered his face with his arms, unable to bring himself to look at her.

“Look at me,” she shouted, digging her foot into his hands to push them aside. She kicked him in the stomach and rolled him onto his back as she towered over him. “What would the gods say about you now? Your divine strength, your blessing from above, all of it was for naught.” Allie crouched down, leaning her face closer to his. “Answer me, Solum: do you still want to finish your research?”

Solum choked on his own spit, coughing heavily. Phlegm shot out of his throat and landed on his chin as he gagged. “I just…”

Allie leaned in closer. “What was that?”

“I just wanted… to spread their blessings.” Solum’s eyes teared up. “The gods love all of us. The people  _ need _ to know that. We’re nothing without them.”

Silence filled the room. Allie stood up, stepping back from Solum.

“The world’s changing so fast, moving beyond the need for gods and religion. Affinities… fading into obscurity. How can we forget so easily?” Solum rolled onto his side as drool pooled from his lips onto the ground. “Their existence cannot be denied. Affinities have no basis in this world without divine intervention. And yet, why? Why must we toil only to fail?”

Allie crouched next to him, staring him in the eyes. As much as she wanted to hate him, as much as she  _ should _ , all she could see was a sad, miserable man. A man who so desperately believed to be doing the right thing. “You know the gods wouldn’t approve of this. Do you  _ really _ think they’d want you killing people to spread their love? If so, then they’re no gods I’d ever want to believe in.”

Solum’s gaze refused to meet hers. “I don’t know anymore. Everything I knew-- _ thought _ I knew--it’s all been thrown into disarray. I’ve taken so much for granted up until now, and I can’t believe it took…” Solum stared at his hand, caked with dried mud and blood. “I’ll never be clean again.”

Did Allie pity the man crying on the ground before her? Perhaps. Maybe a little bit, she thought. He was still the same man who tried so desperately to be rid of her, of course, but he was also just… “Maybe not, but at the very least you can put a stop to this madness. No more pyromas, no more ruining families and lives. Understood?”

Solum didn’t answer. Quiet sobs escaped his muffled lips as he rocked side to side gently, as if to cradle himself in a warm embrace. Then, before Allie could fully process, Solum picked himself off the ground, clutching his stomach with one hand. He hobbled towards the hole in the glass. “There’s only one way out of this,” he giggled. “No affinity will save me this time.”

Allie couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was he really about to jump? Was he really  _ that _ despondent, that hopeless, that he felt it was the only way to make up for what he did? She grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him backward, shoving him back onto the ground and away from the window.

Solum stammered, his voice shaking. “P-please! You want this, too, don’t you?! Why won’t you just let me go?!”

“You really think I want you dead?” Allie asked, not expecting an answer. “I want you to make up for what you’ve done. Spilling your blood won’t make anyone who has suffered feel better. You can dedicate the rest of your life to fixing your mistakes.” She bent down and rested her hand on his neck, feeling the matted fur between her fingers. “ _ That _ is what the gods want. But more importantly, that’s what  _ I _ want.”

Solum gulped hard enough that Allie could feel it. “Y-yes. Of course.”

“I will  _ always _ be watching you, Solum. If you so much as think about resuming your research, I won’t hesitate to hunt you down again,” she explained.

Solum met her gaze and nodded. “...Alright. I must atone for what I’ve done.”

Allie almost wanted to pat herself on the back--Shanalotte, too. She was just glad not only to be alive, but that Solum was beginning to see the error of his ways, even if just a little for now. 

Of course, she would still keep an eye on him. Saying and doing are two very different things, as Allie knew. Many people in her life acted against their own teachings, but she was determined to keep Solum to his word. 

After all, he had kicked the hornet’s nest, she thought. This was to be expected. She stood up, fitting her mask on again. “The Black Hornet will always be lurking,” she said with her voice anonymized again. 

...That sounded cooler in her head.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… All the people I hurt for nothing, all the lives I’ve ruined. Gods, forgive me. I simply wanted to see your will done, and instead…”

“Pull yourself together,” Allie barked. “Nobody wants to see you parade yourself as a victim. Get up, go home, burn your research, move on. What’s done is done. Blubbering about isn’t solving anything.”

Solum’s breath hitched as he lifted himself up slowly, sitting upright. “You’re right. I’ll… I’ll be on my way, now. I will atone as best I can, I swear it.”

Allie was silent as she watched Solum turn around, getting on both feet. He hobbled towards the staircase and limped down, slowly and cautiously. 

He stopped and turned around, looking at her like a lost animal. “I’ll turn myself in; you don’t need to arrest me. This is only the beginning of my atonement. I’ll… serve my time, then I’ll do what I can to fix all of this.” 

As his silhouette faded into the darkness below, she let out a sigh of relief. 

Despite her best efforts, she fell backward, landing on the broken glass beneath her. She laughed, unable to process everything that had just happened. It felt so distant and hazy, even though it was mere moments ago.

She couldn’t imagine doing anything this insane again. Could she ever even hold up her threat of spying on Solum? The words just flew out of her mouth; she hadn’t thought much of them in the moment. But somehow, the idea didn’t feel wrong. Of course, being an undercover investigator of sorts would be second to her schooling--third to her hospital work, too--but if it helped keep people safe, then so be it.

If she was supposed to be a doctor, she would do anything to keep the people safe. If that meant hunting down those who would do harm, then that was just another one of her many duties. Nobody said being a doctor would be easy, she thought.

Her earpiece crackled to life. “ _ Allie? _ ”

Still laying flat on the ground, indifferent to the shards of glass beneath her, she answered, “what’s up, Hay?”

“ _ What the hell is going on? _ ”

“Solum’s taken care of. He won’t be bothering anyone anymore.”

There was a pause before Hayley spoke. “ _ You didn’t kill him, right? _ ”

“What? No! No, I just…  _ convinced _ him.”

Hayley sighed. “ _ Please tell me you actually spoke to him, and didn’t injure him or anything like that. I don’t think my heart could take another Tract situation _ .”

“Oh, it’s fine. I didn’t hurt him at all. I’ll tell you more when I’m back, okay?” Allie said as she picked herself up, the sound of crunching glass beneath her. “And after I’ve had a nap, and a shower. And some pizza.”

“ _ I’ll order some right now. Usual? _ ”

“Yeah… that sounds nice,” Allie groaned as she made her way towards the stairs. 

A second voice cut into her earpiece. “ _ I’m invited too, right? _ ”

********************************************************************************************************

_ Later _

“Yeah, I’ll need to get the patient morphine. Fractured wrist, not compound from the looks of it. Complaining about intense pain though--7 or 8--so I’ll get him weighed first, then administer morphine.”

Allie sat at her desk, phone in hand, as she spoke to one of her colleagues. It had been some time since she graduated medical school and began her residency at Astuva Hospital, but time has a funny habit of flying by. She wore her trusty white lab coat with a collared black shirt and jeans, deciding to dress a little bit more formally to fit the part.

Moreover, she had been fitted with a brand-new prosthetic. It was virtually identical to the one she had before, but with an added decal to the back of the palm. She had a small hornet insignia laser-carved onto it, not only as a nod to her second profession, but also because hornets looked cool, she thought. It was like a tattoo with less permanence. 

Hayley wasn’t sure about branding her prosthetic with the logo for their supposedly secret, dark-web-but-not-really-based, information gathering collective. But then again, Hayley wasn’t Allie, and Allie really liked the design, and not just because she thought the hornet looked cool. Antonio never fully understood her logic behind choosing  _ The Black Hornet _ as their group name, but she said it sounded cool, and hornets are cool, and that was that. 

“No, we don’t need to have--No! Yuvo, I told you for the last time, I can do this on my own. Yes, I have underlings, just like you said I would. They’re going to take his vitals and  _ then _ I’ll check on him. Do you have any idea how busy I am now?” She paused. “Of course you do.”

Allie grabbed the pen from her desk and began signing some patient paperwork, mostly writing off prescriptions or notes of sickness, and so on. It was a miracle she could find anything on her desk, considering how lazy she had been about keeping it tidy. Stacks of papers, cute photos, and the occasional meme faxed from Hayley decorated her workspace. 

“Antonio? I haven’t heard from him in weeks. I was still surprised he stood any chance in that interview I recommended him for. Guess he picks things up faster than I gave him credit for.”

To her left was her cup of tea that had been steeping for far too long and had long since lost its heat. She took a quick sip and winced, realizing just how cold it was. “No, I didn’t think he’d end up as an HR manager either, and frankly I take offense to that. I don’t care if he makes up our budget, and that budget has been rather  _ generous _ lately.”

Allie could hear Yuvo snickering. Before long, she hung up and resumed her paperwork with a sigh. She stared at her prosthetic hand and smiled. “I can live with this,” she said.

There was a knock at her window behind her. Strange, she thought. She worked on the third floor. Before she could even stand up, there was another, quicker series of knocks. She got up and walked towards the window, moving the blinds. 

“Hi, Allie,” Shanalotte shouted, dangling precariously on the ledge. “It’s locked!” they gestured toward the switch at the base of the window.

All she could do was stare, mouth agape. She unlocked the window and stepped aside. “What in the  _ fresh _ hell are you doing here?”

Shan climbed through the now-opened window, landing deftly on their feet. “I’m surprised that’s your first question.”

“I could be asking why you bothered to climb the hospital to begin with,” she mentioned.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d lead with. But to answer your questions: I came to talk, and also they wouldn’t let me in at the front.”

Allie folded her arms. “And have you thought about  _ why _ they wouldn’t let you in at the front?”

“Because they’re rude?” 

“Well, that’s part of it, but also they don’t just let anyone in willy-nilly. You need appointments, that kind of stuff. But hey, you’re here, so…” Allie gestured to a seat across her desk. “Let’s talk, then.”

Shan grabbed the small office chair in front of Allie’s desk and sat with her leg folded over the other, elbow resting on the desk. “I got you a little gift,” they said.

Allie sat back in her chair, hands on her lap. “A gift? What’s the occasion?”

“You remember when we met on the rooftop?”

Allie nodded.

“I said I had something to protect, to ensure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands?”

She nodded again. 

Shan reached into their pocket and pulled out a small ruby. They slid it onto the desk in front of Allie, watching it glow gently with its red warmth. “That’s one of them. You know what it is.”

Allie looked down at the ruby and picked it up between her finger and thumb. The glow reflected against her prosthetic’s carbon fiber finish. “Is this… really, you know, the real thing?” She was dumbfounded.

“It is. I’ve seen it used to grant affinities before. It’s very real, I can assure you.”

“But… why? I thought you were supposed to be watching them? To keep them from falling into the wrong hands, right?” she asked.

Shan grinned. “I think your hands will be a lot more capable than mine.”

Allie’s brow furrowed. “You’re  _ immortal _ . What am I supposed to do in, like, seventy years from now, or whenever I die?”

“The same thing I’m doing right now. Or whatever you think is right. The point is, it’s up to you now, and I know you’ll do the right thing.” 

Allie stuffed the ruby into her lab coat’s side pocket. “...I see. Aren’t there supposed to be two of these? Where’s the other?”

“Oh, you’ll find out. It’s easier to keep them safe when they’re separate,” Shan explained.

“I’ll do my best, then. What are you going to do? If you don’t have to keep these safe, are you going to just… retire? If anyone deserves a break, it’d be you,” she said.

Shan leaned back in their chair before standing up, staring out the window. “Yeah. I’m taking a break. A long, well-deserved break.”

Allie stood up as well. “Will I see you again?”

They said nothing, a single tear streaming down Shan’s face. “Sure, one day. One day.”

Allie walked around her desk and hugged Shan tightly, wrapping both arms and squeezing them around their back. They returned the hug as well, rubbing Allie’s shoulder. Their hand grazed Allie’s prosthetic, feeling just how cool to the touch it was. 

“I know we didn’t talk much, but I’ll miss you,” Allie said, sniffling.

“...Thank you.” Shan let go of the hug and made their way to the window, stepping over the ledge. “Don’t do anything reckless while I’m gone. I can’t bail you out.”

Allie chuckled. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Shan disappeared from sight, leaving Allie alone in her office once more. She sighed wistfully as she closed her window, staring out at the late autumn sky. The sun had just barely started to set, leaving faint, golden streaks across the horizon. 

Allie tapped the gemstone in her pocket. She swore she could feel it warming her pocket. Whether that was because it was a relic from the gods or because Shan gave it to her, she wasn’t quite sure.

What she did know for sure was that she would be one hell of a resident. Under her watch, nobody would get hurt again. With Hayley and Antonio at her side and gemstone in hand, she felt unstoppable. 

********************************************************************************************************

Hayley sat at her computer desk, soda in one hand and mouse in the other. She had been clicking away at the game on her screen when she heard a knock at her door. It was funny, she didn’t think anyone could knock louder than she’d blast her music.

Sighing, she got up and made her way to her door. She peeked through the peephole and saw… someone she didn’t recognize. A Creaden, dark brown fur, and a gray hoodie. “Hello? I didn’t order pizza. Not yet, at least,” she said.

“Open up, Hayley. I’m Allie’s friend.”

“Uhh,” Hayley said, not sure what to think. “She didn’t tell me you were coming over, so I’ll have to get back to you on that!”

“Hayley, just open the door. I have something for you, and it’s--”

“I’m good, thanks! Unless you have pizza, then you can just leave it at the door!”

Hayley turned around and walked back to her desk, only to be interrupted by the sound of her doorknob turning. She swore it had been locked, so how did they open it?

Shan stood in her doorway, pushing the door open. “You really oughta talk to your landlord--these locks are terrible. Or I’m just really good. Dunno.”

“Ahh! What the fuck?!” Hayley screamed, stepping back. “You’re literally committing a crime right now! Ever heard of breaking and entering?”

Shan stepped closer. “Relax. I’m Allie’s, er, great great grand… hmm. What’s the gender-neutral equivalent of aunt or uncle?”

Hayley paused. “And I’m supposed to believe this…? I’m calling the cops.”

“Just text Allie if you aren’t sure. Tell them it’s Shan. I’ll stay right here until she gets back to you, okay?” Shan folded their arms and rested their back against the wall.

“...Okay,” she said, pulling out her phone. She shot Allie a quick text asking who the fuck this Shan person was and how they broke their lock. Surprisingly, Allie got back to her quickly. 

_ Yeah lol that’s a relative of mine. They’re cool _ .

Hayley put her phone away slowly, eyeing Shan suspiciously. “I just have  _ more _ questions now.”

“Right. Well, you remember a while ago when Allie confronted Solum in the cathedral?” Shan asked.

She nodded. “How could I forget?”

“Did she ever tell you how she made Solum think he had killed her?”

“She said she had a body double, some…” Hayley trailed off. “Wait,  _ you’re _ the body double? Oh, it makes so much sense now! If you’re her great great whatever-the-fuck, then you’re just a real badass who can’t die, yeah? Duh.”

Shan stood up straight. “Well, you took that a lot easier than I thought you would. Most people kinda freak out when I tell ‘em about the whole not-able-to-die thing.”

“Eh, I’ve read a lot of fics like that.”

“I see. Well, I told you I had something to give you, so…” Shan reached into their pocket and pulled out a sapphire, glowing faintly in their palm. “I’m sure you know what this is.”

Hayley stared intently at the sapphire. “That’s… Man, if that’s fake, that’s a cruel joke.” 

“It’s not. Take it.”

“I…” she paused. “I don’t know if I should. This is kind of a big deal.”

“It is, that’s why I want you to have it,” Shan insisted. 

“...Why? Why me?” she asked.

Shan cocked their head, almost as if the question was as simple as, ‘what color is the sky?’. “Because you’re reliable, just like Allie. It’s in your blood.”

Hayley’s gaze never left the sapphire. “I could use this to get my affinity back, couldn’t I?”

“Yes, you could--with Allie’s help,”

She took the sapphire and watched it roll around her palm. “As tempting as that is, I don’t think it would feel right to get it back. I mean, I’ll  _ protect _ this, but not much more than that.”

“Really?” Shan asked. “Would’ve thought you’d be desperate to get it back.”

“I  _ was _ , but now that I’ve had a little more time to get used to my new normal, it’d feel wrong to just... go back to the way things were. I’m not going to undo what happened. The past is in the past, and this won’t change that. I’ve been doing just fine for myself ever since it happened, and I don’t know if I really  _ need _ my affinity back.” She explained, punctuating her thought by pocketing the sapphire.

“Mmh, I understand. Well, the decision is yours and yours alone. Far be it from me to make any choices for you,” they said.

“Aside from this one? Giving me this holy artifact that should probably be in a vault somewhere? Maybe guarded by 24/7 security with, like, lasers and stuff?” Hayley snickered. 

Shan didn’t look so enthused by her joke. “That’d just paint a bigger target on them. The more hidden, the better, but I get what you mean.”

“Right,” Hayley said, walking up to Shan before wrapping her arms around her. “Thank you for that. And everything.”

Not expecting a hug, Shan awkwardly returned the favor. It was funny, they thought, hugging someone that hardly looked like people they used to know, but sounded just like them. It was almost enough to make them cry.

Hayley pulled away from the hug. “Guess you got places to be, huh?”

Shan stepped back. “Yeah. I’ll be on my way now. Stay safe.”

“Of course.”

********************************************************************************************************

_ 4 years later _

Spring had never smelled sweeter; the crisp, fresh breeze, the soothing aromatics of blooming flowers, there wasn’t a single thing Solum hated about this time of year. A time of new beginnings, of renewal. A fresh start.

The last four years had been… difficult, to say the least. After pleading guilty to manslaughter (among other crimes), Solum had been convicted initially to seven years in prison, but with good behavior, had only served four. While in jail, he had started his own religious study group, encouraging fellow inmates to read lectures with him. He even got to create a sort of mini-following among his peers.

But that was then, and this was now. Solum was a changed man--he truly believed it now. Of course, he was still haunted by his past sins. How could he  _ not _ be? He had a lot of time to think and realize the mistakes he had made were nigh unforgivable. 

But the gods showed him mercy, and he promised to return the favor. 

On his knees at his home garden, Solum had been tending to his plants, hoping to get some fresh herbs going for a later harvest. He had missed the simple joys while locked away, so he took great pride in gardening, cooking, and other house tasks most would prefer to avoid.

Solum stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow. Fresh dirt caked his knees and gloves--a sensation he had also somehow missed greatly. Being connected with nature, with the natural world, was everything to him. He began cleaning up by grabbing his shovel from the lawn.

A stranger walked down the street across the road from him. They were an average sized Creaden with dark brown fur and a light jacket. 

“Hello! Nice day for a walk, isn’t it?” he called out. 

The Creaden turned to him, eyes fixed on him intently. “It sure is, Solum,” they said.

He laughed. “You know my name? Were you at the fair last week? I didn’t expect my apple pie would be so popular! Everyone’s been--”

The Creaden crossed the road and stopped in front of his lawn. “I need a favor,” they said. “My name is Shanalotte.”

Solum’s brow furrowed. “Oh… A favor? How can I help you, Shanalotte?”

“Your pyroma research will finally have a use,” they said. 

The shovel fell to the floor with a dull thud. “P-pyroma? I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I don’t--”

“I’m not mistaken. I want you to help me… fix a problem,” Shan insisted.

“No! I spent so long working to undo my mistakes, and now you want me to… Absolutely not! I will not entertain your nonsense.” He picked up his shovel and turned around, heading toward his front door.

Shan, however, was faster than he was. They cut him off and stood in front of his doorway. “Please. I am the only person in the  _ world _ who will ask you for this.”

“No. Please leave before I have to call the cops,” he said, reaching into his pocket.

Sighing, Shan said, “I don’t need you to give me a pyroma. Just tell me how to do it.”

Solum stopped. “Why… Why do you  _ want _ a pyroma? You know what that would entail, right? You lose your affinity, and--”

“I know.”

“You… you’ve been tortured by your affinity, haven’t you?” Solum’s voice wavered. “You poor thing. I don’t know how I feel about even considering my old research, but…”

Shan was silent, waiting for him to continue.

“But if you well and truly would like to have your affinity removed, then I suppose it can be arranged. But please, do  _ not _ tell anyone of what transpired here. I would love nothing more than to move on from this chapter of my life,” he said.

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who supported me while writing Black Hornet. I really think this would not have been possible without the support of all my friends and everyone who read, liked it, shared it, and so on. Special shout outs to:
> 
> My lovely partner Sam (@GayZeraora) for drawing all of these amazing chapter banners.  
> My great friend Willow (@wmm_ebooks) for editing and making sure my plot was actually coherent.
> 
> And to all of the followers of the @ReadBlackHornet twitter account. You're all fantastic.
> 
> I suppose at this point I should link the song I think fits the ending the most, but truth be told, I don't know for sure what would really fit here. Maybe I'll put something later.
> 
> And with all that said, I'll be back for some more original fiction soon. I've got some ideas, and I hope you enjoy them. Thank you!


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